Liberia has formally joined the West African Power Pool (WAPP) after the World Bank signed an agreement with the countrys government to finance the Liberian section of the power network
The World Bank's acting Africa regional vice-president, Shantayanan Devarajan, asserted that the US$175mn World Bank grant exemplifies how countries and international agencies can work together in sharing electricity and developing infrastructure across national borders.
The World Bank project has targeted sub-Saharan countries coming out of conflict along with as some of the poorest nation in the world.
It has been aiming to increase electricity supply and lower energy cost in the Mano River Union countries of Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
The first stage of the project will finance the infrastructure of a transmission interconnection between the four countries at a distance of 1,349km.
The grant will also finance key investments required for the continuous flow of power across national borders into Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo.
Mike Butscher
