The West African Power Pool (WAPP)
The West African Power Pool (WAPP) is a specialized institution of ECOWAS. It covers 14 of the 15 countries of the regional economic community (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo).
An international organization of public interest, the WAPP is created to ensure Regional Power System integration and realization of a Regional Electricity Market. It is made up of Public and Private Generation, Transmission and Distribution companies involved in the operation of the electricity in West Africa. It has to date, 26 member companies. Created by Decision A/DEC.5/12/99 of the 22nd Summit of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, WAPP has the aim of promoting the power supply in the West African sub-region.
In January 2006, through Decisions A/DEC.18/01/06 and A/DEC.20/01/06 the 29th Summit of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held in Niamey respectively adopted the Articles of Agreement for the establishment and functioning of WAPP, and granted the WAPP Secretariat the status of a specialized institution of ECOWAS. On July 5th of the same year, ECOWAS signed on behalf of WAPP a Headquarters Agreement with the Government of Benin, conferring on it diplomatic immunities required to operate effectively within the entire ECOWAS Member States.