Regional power integration is increasingly critical as West African countries seek to expand access, stabilise grids, and reduce electricity costs. The West African Power Pool (WAPP) provides the framework for interconnected systems and regional power trade, but progress depends on close coordination between governments, utilities, and the private sector.

Recorded at WAECS25 in Ghana in partnership with The Electricity Hub, H.E. Honourable Charles Umehai, Deputy Minister of Mines & Energy of Liberia, and Arnaud Gouet, Senior Vice President at Release by Scatec, discuss how policy alignment and private-sector delivery are advancing regional integration. The conversation examines cross-border interconnection, utility reform, and the partnerships needed to strengthen reliability and scale affordable power across West Africa.

As West Africa seeks scalable solutions to close its persistent energy access gap, governments and industry leaders are rethinking the role of off-grid and decentralised power. With grid expansion struggling to keep pace with population growth and rising demand, mini-grids, solar home systems, and captive power plants are becoming central to electrification efforts. Solar has transformed rural access, yet questions remain about long-term sustainability, the role of gas as a balancing fuel, and the commercial viability of decentralised systems for communities and investors.

Dr. Abba Aliyu, Managing Director and CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) of Nigeria, examines how off-grid technologies can power West Africa's future and what it will take to create resilient, investment-ready markets across the region.

From scaling productive-use energy and catalysing local manufacturing to strengthening industrial growth through captive power and balancing renewables with gas in decentralised systems, he explores how off-grid solutions can evolve from stop-gap measures into a core pillar of West Africa's long-term energy strategy.

Recorded in partnership with The Electricity Hub in Ghana during the West Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (WA-ECS), this episode captures a timely discussion at the heart of West Africa's evolving power market.

Against a backdrop of shifting development finance priorities and tighter global liquidity, we sit down with Roger Stuart, Head of the Regional Hub at the European Investment Bank, to explore how development finance institutions, commercial banks and domestic investors are adapting to finance the region's next generation of power projects.

From blended finance structures and local-currency solutions to the growing influence of pension and sovereign wealth funds, this conversation unpacks what a more resilient, locally anchored financing ecosystem could mean for West Africa's energy transition.

Recorded at the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town last year, this episode — produced in partnership with The Electricity Hub — examines how development finance is driving Africa's just energy transition.

In conversation with British International Investment (BII), we explore the shift from corporate finance to energy access investing, how large-scale infrastructure is balanced with decentralised solutions, and how catalytic capital unlocks scale, strengthens grids and delivers measurable impact.

Nigeria's electricity sector is at a critical turning point, facing persistent grid instability, limited generation capacity, and the urgent need to integrate renewable energy at scale. In this episode, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Honourable Minister of Power, discusses the strategic vision guiding Nigeria's electricity future and the reforms needed to build a reliable, efficient, and inclusive power system.

From strengthening generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure to accelerating renewable energy deployment, attracting private investment, and deepening regional energy cooperation across West Africa, he explores how decisive policy direction and regulatory innovation can unlock new opportunities for economic growth, energy security, and sustainable development.

West Africa is at a critical juncture in its energy transition. As countries expand generation, strengthen transmission and deepen cross-border power trade, the region is also racing to crowd in long-term private capital. But political risk, utility liquidity constraints and currency volatility continue to weigh heavily on project bankability.

In this podcast interview, recorded during WA-ECS in Ghana, Aliyu Alhassan, Underwriter at African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), breaks down how risk guarantees, political risk insurance and credit enhancement tools are reshaping the investment landscape. He explains how these instruments are helping de-risk private participation, reinforce utility creditworthiness and support climate-aligned, multi-country energy projects—laying the groundwork for a more resilient and investable power sector across West Africa.

Recorded at aef in Cape Town, this episode of Let's Talk Energy explores how African power systems are being built from cables to clean energy. Produced in partnership with The Electricity Hub, the conversation features Ms. Nadia Derafa, Regional Business Development Director – Africa at Elsewedy Electric. From manufacturing cables, transformers, and meters to delivering large-scale renewable and EPC projects, Elsewedy Electric's footprint spans the full energy value chain across Africa.

The discussion examines what it takes to deliver mega projects, adapt solutions to Africa's markets, and respond to rising energy demand — including the company's outlook on South Africa.

Recorded in Ghana during WA-ECS last December, and produced in partnership with The Electricity Hub, this conversation explores how finance is shaping Africa's energy future.

Sydney Nii Ayitey Tetteh, Executive Head of Client Coverage, Corporate & Investment Banking at Stanbic Bank Ghana, unpacks the role of strategic financing, partnerships, and market frameworks in turning energy ambition into bankable, long-term development. From mobilising capital for power infrastructure to aligning public and private priorities, the discussion highlights how energy investment can drive industrialisation, competitiveness, and inclusive growth across the continent.