Nigeria and Neighbours Face Critical Test as 330kV Power Corridor Nears 75% Completion

The West African Power Pool (WAPP) North Core 330kV Interconnection Project, linking Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo, has achieved 75% progress, but faces significant challenges, including insecurity, contractor performance problems, and mounting implementation challenges. The project's completion is crucial for West Africa's regional electricity integration agenda, with financing partners warning that unresolved bottlenecks in any participating country could undermine the benefits of the entire regional electricity investment.

The 8th Joint Supervision Mission, held in Abuja from October 26 to November 6, 2026, brought together representatives of the African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank, participating governments, and national electricity utilities to scrutinize outstanding construction works, assess contractor performance, and tackle security-related disruptions. The mission aimed to establish practical measures for accelerating implementation without compromising the project's completion schedule.

Engr. Aminu Tahir, General Manager, Programme Coordination, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), emphasized the need for stronger coordination, timely decisions, and renewed commitment from all stakeholders to complete the project. He noted that the 75% completion milestone represented years of engineering commitment and cooperation among participating governments, technical personnel, contractors, and development partners.

The project has encountered significant disruptions, including insecurity along sections of the construction corridor, flooding, the COVID-19 pandemic, supply-chain interruptions, difficult political circumstances, and border closures. Despite these setbacks, progress has been recorded across the five-country corridor, with notable advancements in Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria.

In Benin, the Malanville substation has received provisional acceptance, 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 existing network. In Niger, equipment installed at Niamey II and Gazaoua has been operational since July, helping stabilize two existing 132kV interconnection lines supplying electricity from Nigeria.

The project has also recorded substantial social interventions, including compensation for 5,726 project-affected persons, with almost all reported grievances resolved. It has facilitated electricity connections to 170 communities in Burkina Faso and Niger and generated 2,483 jobs along the project corridor. However, the African Development Bank has emphasized the need for concrete solutions to security threats, contractor performance weaknesses, and other obstacles threatening timely completion.

When fully delivered, the North Core interconnection is expected to strengthen electricity transmission across West Africa, expand cross-border power trading, improve regional supply security, and support the development of a more integrated electricity market. The project's success is crucial for Nigeria, offering an opportunity to deepen its electricity trade relationships with neighbouring countries while strengthening regional transmission cooperation.

Key points

• The 330kV Power Corridor project has achieved 75% completion, but faces significant challenges, including insecurity and implementation challenges.
• The project's completion is crucial for West Africa's regional electricity integration agenda, with financing partners warning that unresolved bottlenecks in any participating country could undermine the benefits of the entire regional electricity investment.
• The project has recorded substantial social interventions, including compensation for 5,726 project-affected persons and electricity connections to 170 communities in Burkina Faso and Niger.