FEC approves $2m payment to West African Power Pool‎

‎The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the payment of Nigeria’s 2020 annual contribution to the West African Power Pool (WAPP).‎

Nigeria’s annual contribution to the pool is $2m.

The approval for the payment was given at the weekly meeting of the council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, who disclosed the development, explained that ‎the West African Power Poo was created by a decision at the 22nd Summit of the Economic Community of West African States Authority of Heads of State and Government in 1999.

The WAPP to integrate the national power systems into a unified regional electricity market with the ultimate goal of providing in the medium and long term, a regular and reliable energy at competitive cost to the citizenry of the ECOWAS region.

Mamman said, “The pool is about having synergy within the West African region.

“The decision has been taken by ECOWAS, it is for the generation of electricity in the region, so as to have more constant and steady power supply.

“It is like the national grid in Nigeria. So, we are going to have a regional grid. It means in case there is a failure in one country, another can supplement. The $2m is a contribution.”‎

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said the $2m was not a gift to ECOWAS but Nigeria’s contribution.

The minister said, “The West African Power Pool is made up of all West African countries because each member state contributes annually to the cost of power transmission across the pool.

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