The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), in collaboration with the West African Power Pool (WAPP) Information and Coordination Centre, has synchronised Nigeria’s national electricity grid with the wider West African power network.
The landmark test, conducted between 5:04 am and 9:04 am on Saturday, November 8, marked the first successful attempt to operate a unified regional power system across 15 West African countries under a single frequency.
The synchronisation connected Nigeria, the Niger Republic, and parts of Benin and Togo with the rest of the regional grid a major breakthrough for regional energy integration.
In a joint statement, NISO Board chairman Adesegun Akin-Olugbade and managing director Abdu Bello Mohammed described the development as a significant step towards achieving a stable, reliable, and interconnected electricity market in the ECOWAS sub-region.
The statement read, “This successful synchronisation test between the Nigerian power grid and the West African power grid marks a milestone in our efforts to establish a unified electricity network operating at a single frequency.”
Efforts to synchronise the region’s power systems have been ongoing for nearly two decades.
The only previous physical test, conducted in 2007, lasted just seven minutes before it was halted due to system instability and lack of coordination.
This recent success, according to NISO, was achieved through enhanced coordination, real-time communication among control centres, stricter frequency control, and harmonised operational standards between NISO and the WAPP Coordination Centre.
The new synchronisation connects Area 1 (Nigeria, Niger, and parts of Benin and Togo) with Areas 2 and 3, which include the remaining West African nations, thereby creating a single operational grid.
This integration is central to WAPP’s vision of a unified electricity market, which aims to enable efficient cross-border electricity trade, reduce supply costs, and improve grid reliability through shared reserves.
For Nigeria, the development reinforces its leadership in regional energy cooperation, positioning the country as a key player in West Africa’s electricity ecosystem.
It opens doors for foreign exchange earnings, cross-border power trading, and the utilisation of stranded generation capacity from underused power plants.
It also improves grid stability and resilience, allowing Nigeria to either supply or draw power from neighbouring countries during shortages or emergencies a major boost for millions of consumers across the sub-region.
Ongoing infrastructure projects such as the North Core Transmission Project in Birnin Kebbi and the Ajegunle 330kV Substation in Lagos are expected to benefit from increased investor confidence and technical collaboration under the unified market.
“The successful synchronisation marks a historic milestone in regional energy cooperation and demonstrates NISO’s technical capacity to manage complex grid operations in line with international standards,” the agency said.
With this achievement, West Africa takes a decisive step toward establishing a single, competitive electricity market capable of delivering sustainable power to more than 400 million people across the 14 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member states.
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