Status, plans of action, further developments, and recommendations for power pools in Africa

This paper focuses on power pools in Africa: status, plans of action, further developments, and recommendations. First, the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) formation, current status, and future challenges are addressed. Then the Central Africa Power Pool (CAPP), the economic community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is examined. CAPP is a new sub-regional institution, created in Brazzaville in April 2003, under the auspices of ECCAS that is presently the focal point for discussions on regional power markets, particularly as the Ingar hydropower complex when developed could generate close to 40 GW. Security issues of power system interconnections in Africa are then reviewed. Also discussed is the current status and developments of the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) and the East Africa Power Pool (EAPP). Also considered is Hydropower and African Grid Development in relation to a rights-based perspective. Finally, the future of SAPP, CAPP, WAPP, and EAPP is examined.