The newly appointed Secretary General of the West African Power Pool, (WAPP), Mr. Abdoulaye Dia, paid a courtesy call on the Management of GRIDCo as part of his engagements with utilities that belong to WAPP. Mr. Dia explained, “It has been about one month since my appointment, and Ghana is my first visit on this duty tour”, adding “I have three objectives for this visit,” which relate to WAPP, member utilities and country.
On behalf of the Chief Executive, Ing. Mark Baah, Director, Corporate Strategy welcomed WAPP Secretary General to Ghana and GRIDCo saying, “Thank you for visiting Ghana first. On behalf of the CE, we wish you well during your tenure”.
The WAPP SG, shared the three objectives of his tour as; To invite partners for an upcoming meeting; Discuss strategies to swiftly operationalise the Regional Electricity Market, and Efforts to deliver on key ongoing projects and those urgently needed in the ECOWAS region.
Discussions focused on commitments to WAPP, the need for countries within ECOWAS [WAPP] to synchronise their electricity/power systems, and the quest for reform in WAPP. Ing. Baah delivered an overview presentation about GRIDCo, its role as System Operator, and its experience under the power sector reforms which created the Company. Ing. Baah stated, “Utilities in the sub-region wish to reform but may not be sure how. GRIDCo has experience in this area and has the capacity to share its experience”.
Mr. Dia, accompanied by his Special Assistant, Mr. Oumar Diaw, extended appreciation to Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi the Chief Executive, and GRIDCo for the support provided his team during their working visit in Ghana. The WAPP Secretary General, commended GRIDCo highly for fulfilling its commitments saying, “I know GRIDCo is a very good member of WAPP – since you joined WAPP your membership has been impactful”.
Present in the meeting were Ing. Frank Otchere, Director, System Operations; Ing. Vincent Boachie, Director, Procurement; Ing. Hussaini Adam, Director, Southern Network System; Ing. Martin Cudjoe, Manager, Design and Standards; Ing. Abdul Samed Ibrahim, Manager, Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Ing. Papa Kojo Mensah, Special Assistant to the CE, and Ms. Nadia Bedi-Tsatsu, Assistant Officer.
At the end of the meeting, the delegation visited the System Control Centre, where they were shown the SCADA System which includes the Renewable Energy Console, and how dispatch operations are executed.
WAPP is a specialised institution of ECOWAS tasked with integrating national electricity systems into a unified regional electricity market. Its goal is to ensure reliable and affordable electricity supply for the populations of ECOWAS member states.
PROFILE – Mr. Abdoulaye Dia, WAPP Secretary General.
Mr. DIA is a seasoned electromechanical engineer and a graduate of the École Supérieure Interafricaine d’Électricité (ESIE) in Bingerville, Côte d’Ivoire. His remarkable career includes key leadership roles in the energy sector at national and international levels.
Prior to joining WAPP, Mr. DIA held several pivotal positions at the Société Nationale d’Électricité du Sénégal (SENELEC), including Director of Communication and IT, Director of Energy Transmission, and Secretary General. He also served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Petroleum and Energy of Senegal and was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Special Fund for the Support of the Electricity Sector in Senegal. Additionally, Mr. DIA led the Société d’Exploitation de Manantali et de Felou (SEMAF) under the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS).
Mr. DIA’s extensive experience with WAPP, notably as Chair of the Engineering and Operations Committee (EOC) and as SENELEC’s representative on the Executive Board, provides him with a deep understanding of the organisation’s mission and challenges.