ECOWAS reviews electricity-access project ahead of December closure

ECOWAS and the World Bank reviewed implementation experience from the Regional Electricity Access Project during a mission in Banjul scheduled for 12–16 October, according to an official ECOWAS release dated 16 October 2026. The exercise forms part of preparations for the project’s scheduled closure on 31 December 2026. The first project in the regional programme began in 2019 and covers The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali. ECOWAS identifies US$225 million in concessional financing from the World Bank’s International Development Association and an objective of enabling about 2.04 million people to benefit from reliable electricity services, including cross-border electrification. That population figure is an objective, not an audited count of active customers. The release describes infrastructure outputs including approximately 3,900 kilometres of 33 kV lines, 1,060 transformer substations and 3,700 kilometres of low-voltage networks. Connection equipment includes service connections and prepaid or smart meters. It does not supply country-by-country commissioning figures or independently verified service-quality results. The mission brought together the ECOWAS energy directorate, regional coordination unit, Gambian implementation unit under NAWEC and the World Bank. Teams examined procurement, finance, environmental and social safeguards, monitoring and operations, with recommendations intended to inform subsequent regional projects. Nexus analysis: The dated development is a closure-learning exercise, not a new financing award or a declaration that every installation is operational. Translating infrastructure into reliable service requires operational evidence beyond line lengths. The release supports the programme’s scale and planned closing date while leaving final beneficiary and performance verification open.