AFREC Rolls Out Energy Data Systems

Africa’s push toward technology-enabled energy governance took a major step forward this week as the African Energy Commission (AFREC) launched a new set of Diagnostic Reports and Five-Year Action Plans. Designed to modernise energy data systems across the continent, this has significant implications for West Africa’s energy and technology ecosystems.

The launch, held in Dakar from 17–19 December, brought together senior energy officials, permanent secretaries, national data coordinators, and technical partners to accelerate the deployment of National and Regional Energy Information Systems (NEIS/REIS), the digital backbone needed for data-driven energy policy, investment modelling, and regional power integration.

Opening the event, AFREC Executive Director Rashdi Ali Abdallah framed energy data as critical technological infrastructure rather than a bureaucratic exercise. “No effective energy policy can exist without reliable energy data, and no continental integration can succeed without credible and harmonised Energy Information Systems,” he said, positioning data systems as foundational to Africa’s energy security and investment readiness.

West Africa In Focus

Several West African countries, including Senegal, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Liberia, and Mauritania, are among the 16 AU Member States benefiting from the programme’s second phase, which expands support for upgrading national energy databases, analytics capacity, and reporting platforms. Two Regional Economic Communities, including ECCAS, are also participating, strengthening cross-border data interoperability.

The initiative builds on a first phase that helped ten countries standardise energy statistics. The second phase, launched in October 2024, shifts the focus toward system integration, data harmonisation, and long-term institutional capacity, areas that are increasingly critical as West African governments deploy renewable energy projects, expand grids, and attract private investment.

Energy Data As Technological Infrastructure

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cheikh Niane, Permanent Secretary at Senegal’s Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mining, emphasised that political leadership is essential to turning data systems into functional national assets. He highlighted peer-to-peer learning as a mechanism for scaling best practices across West Africa, improving data quality and institutional resilience.

With technical backing from IED Consult and ENERDATA, AFREC worked directly with national coordinators to produce country-specific diagnostic reports and implementation roadmaps. These were technically validated in Lomé in July 2025 and are now being formally handed over to governments — a move signalling readiness for execution rather than pilot experimentation.

The action plans outline priority investments in data platforms, skills development, governance frameworks, and interoperability standards, enabling governments to track energy demand, supply, access, and transition pathways with greater precision.

What This Means For West Africa

In West Africa, where many people still lack reliable energy and the power grid can be unstable, modern energy data systems are becoming essential tools for planning and decision-making. Accurate data helps governments manage everything from renewable energy projects and grid expansion to climate funding and regional power trading under ECOWAS.

The Dakar launch highlights AFREC’s role as Africa’s leading authority on energy data and shows a shift toward using technology and data as key tools for shaping West Africa’s energy and economic future.