Power Regional Integration through Market-Enabled Gas (WB-P515614)

Regions
  • Africa
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Benin
  • Ivory Coast
  • Togo
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • World Bank (WB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
A
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Jun 29, 2026
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Governments of Benin, Ivory Coast and Togo - CI-Energies; and others
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Infrastructure
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 140.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 140.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ WB website

Updated in EWS Sep 20, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Mar 27, 2026

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the objective of this project is to enable midstream and downstream natural gas investments and strengthen institutional capacity for national gas market and regional gas trade in participating countries.

The PRIME-GAS project aims to enhance energy security and promote regional integration by developing midstream and downstream natural gas infrastructure in Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, and Togo. It focuses on supporting immediate gas import solutions, creating long-term Gas Master Plans, and strengthening the regulatory and institutional frameworks to attract investment and ensure sustainable development of the gas sector.

This regional project aims to provide technical assistance and kickstart initial investments to help countries carry out the necessary preparation for the implementation of their short, medium, and long-term gas strategies, at both the national and regional levels. This could provide a foundation for a subsequent multi-phase approach (MPA) that supports the implementation of these strategies, which includes, in the first stage, direct loans for import infrastructure and payment/trade finance guarantee for imports, and eventually extending to gas and electricity infrastructures between the three countries to enhance regional integration in the medium to long term. It is structured around five components.

Component 1 - Supporting gas import solutions - facilitates the import strategies of the three countries, including a potential integration of Benin and Togo into a joint LNG import solution led by Cote d'Ivoire. It supports the necessary technical, commercial, and regulatory groundwork to enable gas imports and distribution.

Component 2 - Gas Master Plan and investment preparation for mid and downstream infrastructure - supports the development of long-term Gas Master Plans (2026-2040) for the three countries to guide infrastructure investment. It aims to prepare bankable projects by conducting detailed feasibility studies, engineering designs, and financing strategies.

Component 3 - Regulatory and institutional strengthening - aims to establish a coherent and stable regulatory, institutional, and operational framework for the gas sector. It focuses on creating legal instruments and building capacity to attract investment and ensure effective implementation.

Component 4 - Supporting regional integration - supports investments and studies related to the development of regional gas and power networks to enhance cross-border trade. It aims to position the countries as key players in the regional energy market, including the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP).

Component 5 - Project management - reinforces the capacity of the implementing agencies in each country to manage the project effectively. It provides tailored support for project implementation, fiduciary management, stakeholder engagement, and E&S compliance.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The overall environmental and social risk classification for the Program is considered High, due to detailed feasibility studies (including E&S) for regional and national gas pipeline infrastructures as well as for LNG receiving terminal and storage facilities at Cotonou and Lome Ports with their potential significant downstream impacts on natural habitats, biodiversity, and marine species, as well as risks of soil and water pollution. 

Other potential downstream risks include health and safety risks to workers and communities; economic displacement in urban settings as well as restrictions on land use and access to natural resources,issues that, if not well managed, could lead to local tensions.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

Total Project Cost: US$ 140.00 million
IDA Credit / IDA Shorter Maturity Loan (SML): US$ 140.00 million


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

CONTACT POINT - World Bank

Task Team Leader: Tu Chi Nguyen
Title: Senior Energy Economist
Email: tnguyen19@worldbank.org

TTL Contact: 
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ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint

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How it works