West Africa stands to create a $3 trillion cumulative energy market by 2035 if its 16 nations move away from separate national systems and build a single connected regional market, according to energy expert Suleiman Yahyah.

He made the remarks while speaking at the second West Africa Refined Fuel Market Conference held in Abuja.

Yahyah, who chairs Rosehill Group Limited Advisory Limited, said the region would progress faster by developing shared systems instead of handling projects in isolation. He listed key requirements such as uniform product standards, common data rules, joint infrastructure and a single regional process for settling disputes, allowing operators licensed in one country to work and trade freely in others.

He pointed out that recent heavy investments in refining and shifts in the global energy landscape mean West Africa is no longer just a market with potential. The priority now, he said, is to build a working regional framework that can move fuel, money and information smoothly across borders.

Despite the continent’s large population and energy resources, many people still lack reliable and affordable power.

In West Africa alone, roughly 45 per cent of residents face energy poverty while about 75 per cent have no access to clean electricity.

Yahyah suggested assigning clear roles to different countries based on their strengths, with Senegal serving as a western entry point, Abidjan as a commercial and logistics centre, Ghana handling storage and balancing, and Lagos acting as the main Atlantic hub for liquidity and refining.

He believes this approach would help the region keep more of the value from its resources and draw greater investment.

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