How many homes actually gained a connection when power lines reached a community? That was one question facing the people overseeing a $225 million electricity project as they met in Abuja. In an account released on 3 November, the ECOWAS Commission reported household connections in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau and a request from Mali for more time.
The Gambia had connected about 43,090 households in 400 electrified localities, according to the commission. It estimated that 344,720 people had gained new or improved access there. Those figures measure two things. Several people may use electricity through the same household connection, so the number of people is much higher than the number of connections.
For Guinea-Bissau, the commission reported more than 20,788 household connections across 90 localities, bringing electricity to about 145,000 people. These are results reported over the project period. They do not mean hundreds of thousands of people received their first electricity supply on the day of the meeting in Nigeria.
In The Gambia, President Adama Barrow had already inaugurated electricity infrastructure earlier in the year. The official programme of inaugurations started in Njongon on 7 February and also covered other electricity schemes. An earlier count that includes several programmes cannot automatically be substituted for the results of this particular regional project.
The two-day steering committee meeting opened on 2 November ahead of the project's scheduled closure on 31 December 2026. Mali's national energy director cited security and contractual difficulties and sought at least 30 additional months. That request needs World Bank approval. The commission's account does not report such approval or set a replacement closing date.
What it means for you. The meeting took place in Abuja because ECOWAS coordinates the project. The three countries covered are The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali. A headline about connections announced in Abuja therefore does not establish that a Nigerian household can sign up for one, or that its electricity bill will change.