Nigeria has achieved a landmark milestone in its electricity sector, as the newly inaugurated Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), in collaboration with the West African Power Pool (WAPP) Information and Coordination Centre, successfully synchronized the national grid with the broader West African regional power network.
This marks the first time Nigeria’s grid has achieved a stable interconnection with the West African power system, a technical and diplomatic milestone that energy stakeholders have pursued for nearly twenty years.
The only previous physical test took place in 2007 and lasted less than ten minutes before it was halted due to severe instability and poor coordination. The new synchronisation, however, has held firm, demonstrating system reliability and improved grid management capacity.
Energy experts say this breakthrough will reshape West Africa’s electricity landscape by enabling cross-border power trade, lowering energy costs through shared reserves, and strengthening grid stability across the region. The development also positions Nigeria as a central hub in the emerging unified West African electricity market, a key objective of WAPP.
Officials describe the success as both strategic and historic, signaling a new era in which West African nations can pool their power resources, support one another during shortages, and scale industrial growth through a reliable electricity supply.
The synchronisation is expected to accelerate economic integration, expand private-sector energy investment, and enhance Nigeria’s influence in shaping regional energy policy.
For a region long troubled by power deficits and fragmented national grids, this moment is widely being hailed as a turning point, one that could redefine how electricity flows across West African borders for decades to come.
