Yahyah Proposes $3 Billion Fund to Unlock West Africa's $3 Trillion Energy Market
Updated
Updated · Arise News · Aug 13
Yahyah Proposes $3 Billion Fund to Unlock West Africa's $3 Trillion Energy Market
3 articles · Updated · Arise News · Aug 13
Summary
$3 billion is the size of the regional settlement facility Suleiman Yahyah says West Africa needs to support cross-border energy trading and build a cumulative $3 trillion market by 2035.
Yahyah told the Abuja fuel-market conference that national-only energy development is too slow, arguing countries should regulate domestically but transact regionally under harmonised rules, shared standards and interconnected infrastructure.
45% of West Africa's population remains in energy poverty and more than 75% lack access to clean power, he said, making liquidity and market integration urgent rather than optional.
The proposed facility would be anchored in naira, could build on the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, and would need backing from central banks, AfDB, AFC, sovereign wealth funds and the African Energy Bank.
By his framework, success would be judged less by deal volume than by affordability, reliability, clean cooking access, industrial use and broader welfare gains across the region.