Power supply: WAPP signs Framework Agreements with University of Nigeria, two others
The West African Power Pool (WAPP) has signed Framework Agreements for collaboration with three universities and colleges in West African countries.
The purpose of the Framework Agreements is to improve dialogue between the academic community and the electricity sector in West Africa.
The academic institutions that signed the Framework Agreements are the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Nigeria, the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE Institute) Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and the Higher Institute of Electrical Engineering (ISGE-BF) Burkina Faso.
The event was attended by the WAPP Secretary-General, Mr Siengui A. Ki, and delegations from the three institutions led by UNN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Arizechukwu Igwe, the 2iE Institute Director-General, Prof. El Hadji Bamba Diaw and ISGE-BF Director-General, Mr Innocent Compaore.
The Framework Agreements are one of the responses to the actions resulting from the study on Skills Review in the electricity sub-sector in West Africa initiated in 2020 by the WAPP General Secretariat.
The study revealed that there is a mismatch between the provision of training activities and skills needs of the electricity sector, as well as the absence of a framework for consultation between stakeholders in the electricity industry and the academic and scientific world.
It should also be noted that the primary objective of these strategic partnerships is to facilitate the development of technical and managerial skills of stakeholders in the electricity sector, as well as the promotion of joint innovation and research projects in the area of electricity in West Africa.
For this reason, the WAPP Executive Board, in a resolution, instructed the WAPP General Secretariat to conclude these partnership agreements.
The strategic guidelines of the Framework Agreements are based on the principles of solidarity and responsibility, shared interest, mutual respect, transparency, and sustainability in the implementation of joint training and research projects such as support in training and internships for students, academic and scientific partners, as well as capacity building of WAPP staff and member companies.
The WAPP and the Academic and Scientific Partners have committed to jointly participate in the drafting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the capacity building, scientific research, and development projects in Electricity Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Market in ECOWAS countries, as well as in areas of common interest.
The event is one step further towards building the capacity of the West African power sector in line with the WAPP integration policy aimed at building a regional electricity market capable of providing ECOWAS citizens with reliable electricity at a competitive price.
