A regional workshop assessing West Africa’s readiness for the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) is taking place in Abuja, Nigeria, from November 3rd to 5th, 2025. The event is organized by the Directorate of Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission (AUC) in partnership with the Directorate of Energy and Mines of the ECOWAS Commission.
Senior officials from ECOWAS member states’ energy ministries, national electricity regulators, and organizations such as the West African Power Pool (WAPP), ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), and ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) are participating. Other continental bodies present include the African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR), Association of Power Utilities of Africa (APUA), and African School of Regulation (ASR).
The discussions at the workshop center on regulatory readiness for cross-border electricity trading, strengthening institutional capacity for an integrated market, restructuring utilities, infrastructure projects needed for participation in AfSEM, policy harmonization efforts, market readiness policies to support implementation, and identifying capacity-building needs.
Honorable Abdou Kolley, Chief of Staff speaking on behalf of the President/Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization of ECOWAS, welcomed participants. He highlighted progress made by ECOWAS in developing a regional electricity market: “the official commissioning in 2023 of the WAPP Information and Coordination Center (ICC), which serves as the ‘Market System Operator’, and the interconnection of the fourteen (14) ECOWAS inland and coastal Member States, constitute a strong foundation to fully thrive within the continental-scale of AfSEM.” He called on attendees to renew their commitment “to build the regulatory foundations for a truly empowered and interconnected Africa.” Additional remarks were delivered by representatives from Nigeria’s Ministry of Power, African Development Bank, and Head of Energy Division AUC.
AfSEM is part of Agenda 2063 under the African Union. Its goal is to create a unified electricity market across Africa—the largest worldwide—promoting cross-border trade in power. This initiative seeks to improve energy security on the continent while advancing regional integration and sustainable economic growth.