The Secretary General of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), Mr Abdoulaye DIA, paid a working visit to the Beninese Power Production Company (SBPE) as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between WAPP and national stakeholders in the electricity sector.

The WAPP Secretary General, accompanied by members of his Management Committee, responded to a request from Mr. Laurent TOSSOU, the new Director General of SBPE, for support with the digitalization process, which has been fully implemented at WAPP since the beginning of 2025.

The technical and strategic meeting focused primarily on preparing SBPE for more structured participation in the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Market, as well as on the modernisation and digitalisation of its operational, administrative and digital processes.

The discussions enabled the two institutions to examine several priority issues, including the synchronisation of the regional power system, payment and transaction-security mechanisms, data reliability, real-time monitoring, contractual arrangements and capacity building. Particular attention was also given to the development of integrated digital tools, the dematerialisation of procedures, electronic archiving, and the improvement of management and maintenance systems.

The meeting also helped align SBPE’s ambitions with the technical, commercial, financial and regulatory requirements of the regional market. In this regard, WAPP could support the company through training programmes, technical immersion sessions at the Information and Coordination Centre, and the provision of operational guidelines.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to strengthen their follow-up mechanism, designate focal points and prepare a roadmap for SBPE’s participation in the Regional Electricity Market. This cooperation will contribute to improving SBPE’s performance and consolidating the integration of the West African power system.

As a reminder, the recently appointed Director General of SBPE previously served as Chairman of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), where he worked closely with the WAPP Secretary General on the establishment of the Regional Electricity Market.