ECOWAS Energy Ministers Confer

Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah

The Minister for Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah left Accra on May 22, 2013 for Abidjan to attend a meeting of ECOWAS Energy Ministers.

High on the agenda is a discussion on the delayed re-commissioning of the West African gas pipeline by Energy Ministers from Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.

The meeting, which takes place on Friday, 24th May, 2013, will also offer the platform to examine the progress review of the preparation and implementation of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) projects, as well as the review and validation of ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) draft directives and regulations for the organization and operation for the regional electricity market.

It will be preceded by a meeting of experts, comprising directors of energy, directors of institutions in charge of regulation and experts from the electricity utilities from 22nd to 23rd May 2013.

At the 42nd Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government held in Yamoussoukro from 27th to 28th February 2013, the ECOWAS Commission was directed to convene a meeting of Ministers responsible for Energy to consider the requests from Member States for assistance in the implementation of emergency energy programmes and make the appropriate recommendations.

The meeting comes in the wake of serious challenges in the power sector in Ghana and West Africa arising from the destruction of the West African gas pipeline in August last year.

On two occasions, the West African Gas Pipeline Company, operator of the pipeline, promised to re-commission the pipe on different dates but could not deliver on its promise.

 A business desk report