Ghana is advancing plans to supply electric power to Nigeria and aspires to the position of a principal energy center within West Africa.

Ghana is presently engaged in preparations to commence the export of electricity to Nigeria within a wider endeavour to enlarge its presence in the energy market of West Africa and to constitute itself as a regional hub for power.

Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, verified the intentions and observed that Ghana already furnishes electricity to Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire by means of established cross-border mechanisms administered by the Ghana Grid Company.

He stated: “Already, Ghana is exporting power to Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and we are working on exporting power to Nigeria. So clearly, this falls in line with our vision.” He further remarked that success in the undertaking could establish Ghana as an energy centre for the whole of West Africa within the briefest feasible period.

Ghana and Nigeria are likewise examining a reciprocal arrangement of electricity in exchange for gas, whereby Ghana would receive natural gas from Nigeria, convert it into power and return electricity to Nigeria. The proposal rests upon the existing gas-supply connections provided by the West African Gas Pipeline and seeks to intensify regional collaboration and security in the energy sector.

The scheme arises while Ghana progresses its extended energy programme, which encompasses nuclear generation together with a combination of gas, renewable sources and other forms of production intended to satisfy internal demand and to facilitate exports within the region. The substantial market of Nigeria offers a significant prospect, although an enlargement of transmission facilities would be necessary.

The progress illustrates the advancing efforts toward the integration of electricity systems across West Africa, among them recent trials of grid synchronization throughout the area.