Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Selected articles from OECD/SWAC's NewsBrief on West Africa



NewsBrief, 22-28 July 2013 | > pdf-file

This week's focus: Mali and Togo hold key elections; West Africa Gas Pipeline resumes deliveries; CILSS gets a new leader; and protecting and promoting West African culture.

Togo holds long delayed legislative elections

Togo's ruling party has won a strong parliamentary majority. The country's electoral commission announced the UNIR party of President Faure Gnassingbé won 62 of the 91 seats in the legislature in the elections held on 25 July. The elections were originally scheduled to take place in October 2012 but were delayed repeatedly due to a tense political climate and demands for electoral reforms. About 30% of the country's polling stations opened late due to missing election materials, and a protest erupted when security forces temporarily shut down a pro-opposition radio station in the capital. Media regulators said the radio station violated election-day rules by broadcasting remarks by a political party representative. Despite such glitches, voting was generally calm and observers judged the election to be credible and transparent. "The peaceful atmosphere we have observed is promising and we would like to encourage Togolese to work hard to see the electoral process to a successful conclusion," said Ambassador Leopold Ouédraogo, the head of the ECOWAS observer mission. Ouédraogo urged all stakeholders to use only legal means to address any grievances related to the vote. Togo is scheduled to hold its next presidential election in 2015.
 
Article in English: http://news.ecowas.int/nb=224&lang=en&annee=2013
Article in French: http://www.icilome.com/news.asp?id=1&idnews=759214

West Africa Gas Pipeline resumes operations

Gas is once again flowing through the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) following a nearly one-year interruption in operations. The West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo), which operates the pipeline, said it has completed repairs of damage suffered during a maritime accident in August 2012. WAPCo Managing Director Charles Adeniji said the shutdown in operations has cost the company USD 165 million and repairs to the damaged pipeline amounted to USD 40 million. He said WAPCo is examining strategies to prevent a repeat of the pipeline breach. The company recently held an experts workshop to explore options for improving the effectiveness of the Pipeline Protection Zone (PPZ) and is making plans for a sub-regional conference later this year. The first regional natural gas transmission system in sub-Saharan Africa, the WAGP delivers natural gas from oil fields in Nigeria to customers, including power generation plants, in Benin, Ghana and Togo. The disruption in operations resulted in major power supply shortages in the receiving countries.
 
Article in English: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/pipeline-n62b-
Article in French: http://www.lapressedujour.net/?p=26716

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Central bank governors assess progress toward single currency

The West Africa Monetary Institute (WAMI) said no member country has as yet met all of the criteria for macroeconomic convergence necessary for the introduction of a single currency. WAMI Director-General Abwaku Englama made the disclosure during a meeting of central bank governors from the West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ), held on 25 July in Accra to review progress toward the establishment of a monetary union among the six countries. Following a period of review, the WAMI found that The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria had each satisfied three of the primary criteria for convergence, while Guinea and Sierra Leone had satisfied two. While all six countries have met the requirement for central bank financing of budget deficits, Englama said most countries are struggling to comply with inflation and fiscal deficit targets. Despite the challenges, the WAMI chief said important progress has been made, including the finalisation of negotiations for a common external tariff (CET) for the ECOWAS zone. West African leaders plan to introduce the Eco, the single currency for the WAMZ, in 2015 before eventually merging with the CFA franc to form a monetary union covering the entire West Africa region.
 
Article in English: http://www.ghana.gov.gh/central-bank-governors-meeting
Article in French: http://news.abidjan.net/h/466340.html

Regional electricity regulator seeks financial autonomy

The ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulation Authority (ERERA) took an important step toward enhancing its credibility as an independent operator overseeing the regional electricity market. Energy experts from member states met from 24-26 July in Dakar to determine the modalities for the calculation and collection of regulatory fees and royalties for cross-border electricity exchanges. Since its creation in 2008, ERERA activities have been supported through contributions from the ECOWAS Commission and funding from development partners. The head of Electricity Sector Regulatory Commission of Senegal, Maïmouna Ndoye Seck, said the arrangement is unsustainable and out of step with international best practices. "One of the essential criteria for the proper functioning of a regulatory body is its financial autonomy, which can only be guaranteed by their own financial resources from fees paid by users and operators," she said. Seck said a well-executed fee system will allow ERERA to gradually wean itself off development assistance and provide the agency with sufficient means to carry out its mission to protect the interests of all stakeholders in the sector. By enhancing the authority and credibility of the regulator, the fee system is also seen as a means of boosting investor confidence in the regional electricity market.
 
Article in English: http://appablog.wordpress.com/electricity-regulatory-issues/
Article in French: http://www.lequotidien.sn/voler-de-ses-propres-ailes

ECOWAS experts plan strategy to protect cultural heritage

Regional experts are taking measures to protect West Africa's cultural heritage from the kind of destruction seen during the conflict in northern Mali. Heritage officials and museum directors from ECOWAS member states gathered in Ouagadougou from 23-26 July to develop a common strategy for the preservation and development of the region's cultural wealth. Participants prepared a list of cultural assets for possible inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and they sought to strengthen training and co-operation among cultural heritage professionals through a collaboration between ECOWAS and the West African Museums Programme (WAMP). The meeting was scheduled as part of the implementation of the Action Plan on cultural heritage adopted by heads of state and government in 2003, in which culture is identified as a key component of development. Participants noted the increased urgency of the issue in the wake of the damage caused to the renowned mausoleums and manuscripts of Timbuktu by Islamist militants who occupied northern Mali in 2012. The director of Culture, Education, Science and Technology at the ECOWAS Commission, Professor Abdoulaye Maga, said protecting West African cultural heritage is key to determining "what type of region we want to build and what type of culture we plan to leave to our children".
 
Article in English: http://www.awhf.net/?p=1436
Article in French: http://news.ecowas.int/nb=221&lang=fr&annee=2013

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Publications

The water resource implications of changing climate in the Volta River Basin

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has published a paper examining the potential impacts of climate change on food and energy production in the Volta River Basin. The Volta River supplies the water needs of more than 24 million people in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo. It also hosts a number of major water management and hydropower development projects, such as the Akosombo Dam in Ghana and Lake Volta, the world's fourth largest reservoir by volume. The IWMI report uses climate and hydrological modelling to identify and quantify the potential threat that climate change poses to existing and planned development projects depending on the river. The study finds that temperatures in the Volta River Basin could rise by up to 3.6°C over the next 100 years, resulting in a significant increase in water lost to evaporation. At the same time, rainfall is expected to decrease by 20%. Water flows in the Volta River system are projected to fall by 45%, decreasing the amount of water available to irrigate farms and drive turbines. By 2100, hydro-electric power supplies could decline, despite investments in new hydro-power generation projects. The outcome could be detrimental to development, food security and poverty reduction in the six Volta River countries. The study urges policymakers and water management professionals to take climate projections into account in their development plans. Some simple recommendations include building small ponds for water storage on rural farms and using water tanks with roofs to limit evaporation.
 
Report in English: http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Reports/RR146.pdf


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