A $225 million World Bank-funded electricity scheme has connected 490 communities and brought power to nearly 500,000 people in The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali, according to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project, coordinated by the bloc’s commission, is due to close on December 31 after six years of implementation.
ECOWAS said the final meeting of its steering committee opened in Abuja on Monday to review the project and agree how its results can be sustained.
The two-day meeting brought together energy ministries and national utilities from the three countries, including The Gambia’s National Water and Electricity Company, Guinea-Bissau’s Electricity and Water company and Mali’s Energie du Mali.
Regional and national implementation bodies also attended.
The project was designed to widen access to electricity in underserved communities as part of a broader push for West African integration and development. Its backers hope that cross-border energy cooperation and investment in infrastructure will remain central to the region’s development agenda.
The reported reach – 490 localities and close to 500,000 people, marks a substantial expansion of electricity access. But ECOWAS did not say how the connections were distributed between the three countries, nor how many households, businesses and public institutions had benefited.
The question of upkeep
The immediate challenge is whether the new infrastructure will continue to deliver reliable power once donor funding ends. Maintaining networks, paying for repairs and ensuring an adequate electricity supply will depend on the capacity of national utilities and local institutions.
The commission is yet to disclose what arrangements, if any, were agreed at the Abuja meeting to preserve the connections, and how the $225 million was divided among The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali.
