North Core power project hits 75%, five West African countries push completion
The West African Power Pool North Core 330kV Interconnection Project, designed to connect five West African countries, has achieved more than 75 per cent completion, with participating governments and development partners calling for accelerated implementation of outstanding works.
The project, which links Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo, is expected to strengthen cross-border electricity trade and improve power supply security across the sub-region.
The progress was disclosed at the opening of the eighth Joint Supervision Mission of the project’s financing partners, held in Abuja from October 26 to November 6, 2026.
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Participants used the meeting to review implementation progress, examine outstanding challenges and agree on measures to fast-track the completion of the regional electricity infrastructure.
Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the WAPP Executive Board and Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, the General Manager, Programme Coordination, TCN, Engr. Aminu Tahir, called for sustained cooperation and timely decisions among participating countries and development partners.
Tahir said the progress recorded so far reflected years of commitment by engineers, technicians, project personnel, governments and financing institutions.
He stressed that the immediate priority was to complete outstanding construction works and ensure that the investment translated into reliable infrastructure capable of supporting electricity exchanges across the region.
The WAPP Secretary-General, Mr Abdoulaye Dia, represented by the Director of Planning, Investment Programming and Environmental Safeguards, Mr Kodjo Afidegnon, said the project was strategically important to regional electricity integration.
Dia recalled that the initiative, launched in 2019, was designed to strengthen electricity supply security, facilitate cross-border power exchanges and support the development of a regional electricity market.
He, however, identified insecurity along some sections of the project corridor, flooding, the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, political challenges and border closures as factors that had affected implementation.
According to him, the challenges contributed to delays, increased project costs and the suspension of construction activities in some locations to protect personnel.
Despite the setbacks, the project has recorded significant progress across the participating countries.
In Benin, the Malanville substation has been provisionally accepted, while work on the Niger River crossing is ongoing.
Burkina Faso has commissioned the Ouaga Est and Ouaga Sud-Est substations, alongside 33 kilometres of 225kV transmission lines connecting the facilities to the national network.
In Niger, equipment installed at Niamey II and Gazaoua has been operational since July, supporting the stabilisation of the two existing 132kV transmission interconnection lines supplying electricity from Nigeria.
In Nigeria, construction work is continuing on the 330kV transmission line, alongside preparations for its eventual connection to the national grid in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Beyond the physical infrastructure, the project has also recorded progress in its environmental and social components.
The initiative has compensated 5,726 project-affected persons, while almost all reported grievances have been resolved.
It has also facilitated the electrification of 170 communities in Burkina Faso and Niger and generated 2,483 jobs along the project corridor.
An African Development Bank representative said the supervision mission was expected to identify practical measures to accelerate implementation, address security concerns and improve contractor performance.
The representative stressed that efforts to fast-track the project must not undermine environmental and social safeguards, workers’ health and safety or the protection of host communities.
The AfDB representative further warned that delays in any of the participating countries could undermine the expected benefits of the regional interconnection, noting that the completion of critical infrastructure in Niger was particularly important to the project’s overall success.
The bank reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the participating countries, national electricity utilities and WAPP in resolving outstanding challenges and completing the project.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the WAPP North Core Project Management Unit, ministries of energy and finance from participating countries, and national electricity utilities in Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo.
When completed, the North Core project is expected to deepen regional electricity integration, increase cross-border power trade and strengthen cooperation among West African countries, paving the way for a more interconnected and reliable regional electricity market.
