The management and staff of ERERA on Sunday, 12th July bade farewell to pioneer Chairman, El Hadj Ibrahima Thiam, whose tenure came to an end after six years at the helm of affairs of the institution.
A formal staff briefing of his departure preceding the Sunday evening gathering. On both occasion, staff members eulogized El Hadj Thiam for courageously nurturing the new institution in spite of the many and varied teething problems.
ERERA’s Acting Chairperson, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ikeonu who also spoke on some of the achievements of the outgoing chairman, noted that ‘it is not easy birthing an institution, especially in an environments such as ours’.
She stated that members of the ERERA Regulatory Council would continue to work hard towards the realization of ERERA’s objectives and the implementation of on-going activities towards the commencement of the regional electricity market. She then called for the continued cooperation of all staff to support the Council.
Similarly, ERERA’s Council Member, Mr. Alagi Gaye, urged staff to continue to embrace team spirit ‘to do what we have been mandated to do’, and to uphold the outgoing chairman in their prayers.
Responding, El Hadj Thiam recalled that his mission to ERERA was ‘to lay the foundations’ on which others would build. He spoke on some of the challenges associated with building a new institution as well as developing a regional electricity market, a core mandate for ERERA. Some of these included recruitment of professional staff, funding and asserting ERERA’s autonomy to ensure its credibility.
El Hadj Thiam expressed gratitude to all the national regulators and operators, especially the electricity regulatory authorities of The Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal as well as the French Development Agency, AFD, for providing early support to ERERA.