A regional initiative backed by ECOWAS, the European Union and Germany’s Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has begun with a workshop focused on improving energy governance and information systems across West Africa.

The Regional Energy Governance and Information System in West Africa, known as REGIS-WA, brought together senior officials from ECOWAS member-state ministries responsible for energy, along with representatives of regional institutions including the West African Power Pool (WAPP), the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA).

The meeting is intended to define the initiative’s strategic and operational direction. Participants are also expected to validate its implementation roadmap and key milestones, while developing mechanisms to promote stakeholder ownership, coordination and cooperation.

Focus on policy and data

REGIS-WA is designed to help translate regional energy policies into action at national level and to strengthen the ECOWAS Energy Information System. The system is intended to support energy statistics and more informed decision-making.

The project has two main components. The first supports the implementation, monitoring and follow-up of regional energy policies and action plans. The second focuses on developing ECOWAS’s energy statistical system and strengthening the capacity of member states to collect and produce energy data.

The initiative is implemented by GIZ through the Promotion of a Climate-Friendly Electricity Market in the ECOWAS Region (ProCEM II) programme. It is funded by the European Union through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), and is being carried out under the Directorate of Energy and Mines.

Regional electricity market

In a virtual keynote address, Amin Amidu Sulemani, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitalization, said the initiative is aligned with regional and global development frameworks as well as the revised ECOWAS treaty.

He said REGIS-WA would support the objectives of the updated regional energy policy through national action plans and the consolidation of the ECOWAS Energy Information System.

“ECOWAS ambition for the energy sector cannot be achieved without strong, transparent and data-driven energy governance,” Sulemani said.

Céline Hoste, Team Leader for Regional Cooperation representing the Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said the European Union was committed to stronger institutions, improved governance and more reliable data to support an integrated and climate-friendly regional electricity market.

“A successful regional market also depends on sound governance, effective regulation, credible planning, and dependable energy statistics,” Hoste said.

Dr. Karin Jansen, Head of Development Corporation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, said REGIS-WA would strengthen the regional energy information system and support monitoring of energy policies and action plans.

She also identified strategic dialogue with the African Union as one of the initiative’s expected functions. Germany reaffirmed its technical and financial commitment to sustainable energy development in the region.

The workshop marks the start of the project’s roadmap and coordination process. The source material describes the milestones and implementation mechanisms as expected outcomes rather than completed achievements.