The West African Power Pool will launch the second phase of its regional electricity market in early 2027, introducing a day-ahead market in which cross-border power prices are set by supply and demand. Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, chairman of the WAPP Executive Board, confirmed the timeline at the opening of the 21st General Assembly session in Conakry, Guinea, on 6 November 2026. The claim is concrete; whether the institutions backing it are ready is the question the Assembly itself spent two days stressing.

The day-ahead market (an exchange where power for next-day delivery is traded at prices cleared against supply and demand) will operate within what Abdulaziz described as "an organised, transparent and non-discriminatory framework." "This is not merely a technical development, it represents a fundamental step forward," he said, noting that two decades of investment in transmission lines, common rules and institutions must now translate into a market that works in practice. Two decades of building, in other words, still awaits its first genuine commercial test.

What does the 2027 launch change for member states?

In principle, it replaces bilateral contracts with competitive regional trading. In practice, Abdulaziz listed conditions the market cannot function without: rules understood and applied by all, reliable data exchanged in real time, rigorous metering, trustworthy settlement arrangements, and congestion and risk management commensurate with traded volumes. Each condition is a known weak point in regional grid cooperation elsewhere; none was reported as fully met.

An ongoing institutional reform will establish an independent system and market operator, separating system operation from market operation to shield decisions from undue external influence. Abdulaziz insisted the transition be managed without disrupting the operational continuity ensured by the Information and Coordination Centre. He also confirmed that a Liquidity Enhancement Revolving Fund, intended to secure the financial settlement of transactions, remains "under study and structuring" — a candid admission that the market's financial backbone is not yet built. "Statutory contributions are not an administrative formality; they are the foundation of our autonomy and our capacity to act," he said, calling on chief executives to treat payment as a personal priority. The plea implies the contributions are not being paid on time.

Synchronisation: progress, with a caveat

Secretary General Abdoulaye Dia reported that the networks of all fifteen West African countries achieved four hours and five minutes of synchronisation on 8 November 2025 — a first for the region. A test scheduled for November 2026 targets forty-eight hours of continuous synchronisation, as a step toward permanent operation. Synchronisation (running all national grids at a single shared frequency) is the technical precondition for the market; a two-day test is still a long way from permanent stability.

Dia also cited progress on the regional tariff framework, consolidated by decisions adopted in 2026 by the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority, covering the transmission tariff methodology, the tariff calculation procedure and the market fee. WAPP, he said, must "make interconnection an operational cooperation, a sustainable, structured and credible reality, so that electricity becomes a real lever for economic and social transformation at the regional level."

Guinea positions itself as regional supplier

Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, representing President Mamadi Doumbouya, urged members to prioritise regional complementarity over national isolation and described energy as a matter of sovereignty, competitiveness, social progress and stability. He positioned Guinea as a future "regional electricity lung," citing the Kaleta and Souapiti hydropower dams and planned projects at Koukoutamba, Sambangou and Amaria. "The Republic of Guinea reaffirms its readiness to support this collective ambition and to contribute actively to the development of a more integrated, efficient, and united West African energy space," he said.

Energy Minister Laye Sékou Camara cautioned that installed capacity should not be confused with the ability to deliver power to consumers, and described interconnection as mutual insurance between states — noting that Guinea itself drew on Senegal's support after the fire at the Coronthie depot in December 2023. He linked the regional agenda to Guinea's Simandou 2040 programme and universal electricity access, and called for credible liquidity mechanisms, respected common rules and greater participation of women in the sector. EDG Director General El Hadji Gando Barry added that integration leverages resource complementarities and strengthens solidarity between national systems.

Signatures on the line

The session closed with seventeen Transmission System Operators signing the Inter-grid Operators Agreement, the legal instrument enabling coordinated grid operations. The Assembly, held under the theme "Consolidating the regional electricity market as a lever of transformation and resilience for West Africa," brought together energy ministers, utility CEOs and international partners from the 15 ECOWAS member states. Delegates celebrated a shift from bilateral contracts toward a fully interconnected market. The early-2027 launch date now depends on a fund not yet structured, contributions not yet settled in full, and a synchronisation record measured, so far, in hours.