Despite sitting atop some of the world’s richest deposits of oil, natural gas, and other energy resources, West Africa continues to struggle with chronic electricity shortages, low access rates, and prohibitive transmission costs. This enduring paradox—and the region’s efforts to address it—was at the heart of a presentation delivered by Mr. Koumoin Arbaduis, Acting Head of Conventional Energy at the ECOWAS Directorate of Energy and Mines, during a high-level parliamentary meeting underway in Dakar.
Speaking at the delocalized joint session of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Committees on Energy and Mines, Infrastructure, and Agriculture, Mr. Arbaduis acknowledged both the promise and the persistent pitfalls facing the region’s energy landscape. “West Africa’s endowment of oil, natural gas, biomass, uranium, mineral coal, and an estimated 25,000 megawatts of hydroelectric potential stands in stark contrast with the reality of inadequate power supply and limited access to electricity for millions,” he told lawmakers.
Enduring Challenges Despite Natural Wealth
The causes, Arbaduis said, are manifold: insufficient generation capacity, outdated infrastructure, high technical and commercial losses, and the continued heavy reliance on expensive petroleum products. These challenges have left many countries in the region with some of the world’s lowest rates of electricity access—especially in rural and underserved communities—and have stymied efforts to fuel industrial growth and reduce poverty.
According to the World Bank, the average electricity access rate in West Africa hovers around 50%, far below the global average. Transmission losses and high production costs have further complicated efforts to deliver consistent power, with consumers often forced to rely on costly private generators or go without electricity altogether.
Policy Responses and Regional Cooperation
In response, ECOWAS has adopted a series of regional policies and legal frameworks over the past four decades. The inaugural ECOWAS Energy Policy of 1982, formulated in the wake of the global oil shocks, laid the groundwork for cross-border collaboration on energy supply, grid integration, and petroleum exploration.
Subsequent initiatives—including the 2003 ECOWAS Energy Protocol and the landmark West African Power Pool—aimed to facilitate investment, promote regional energy trade, and build interconnected power systems. More recent policies, Arbaduis noted, have targeted rural and peri-urban electrification, renewable energy development, and energy efficiency.
The 2013 adoption of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy and the Energy Efficiency Policy sought to boost the share of renewables—such as solar, wind, and hydro—in the regional energy mix, while reducing losses and promoting cleaner cooking solutions. The 2017 ECOWAS Bioenergy Policy and the Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access emphasized the need for inclusive, sustainable development that ensures equal participation for women and men.
A New Focus on Green Hydrogen and Modernization
Looking to the future, Arbaduis highlighted the ECOWAS Green Hydrogen Policy Framework and Strategy, adopted in 2023, which aims to position West Africa as a competitive producer and supplier of green hydrogen. The initiative targets producing at least half a million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030—a bet on emerging technologies that could help diversify the region’s energy portfolio and attract international investment.
He also presented the updated ECOWAS Energy Policy, unveiled in July 2023, which responds to evolving economic and climate realities. The policy’s stated goals include improving sector governance, expanding universal access to affordable and reliable electricity, promoting energy efficiency, and scaling up clean cooking solutions.
“Our vision is to build a community with access to modern, reliable, and sustainable energy services for improved living standards and socio-economic development,” Arbaduis said.
While ECOWAS’s raft of policies and ambitious goals have been widely praised, critics note that implementation remains a persistent hurdle. Bureaucratic delays, financing gaps, and the sheer scale of infrastructure deficits across member states have slowed progress. Some energy experts caution that without stronger political will, increased private-sector participation, and sustained investment in grid modernization, the region risks falling short of its aspirations.
The five-day parliamentary meeting, which began on June 15 under the theme “Harnessing Renewable Energy for Rural Electrification and Empowerment of Rural Economies in the ECOWAS Region: The Role of the ECOWAS Parliament,” is expected to yield new recommendations and renewed commitments.
