Togo: Revelations about the shortcomings of the Spanish company AEE Power in the PEREL project

Already embroiled in a heated financial and operational controversy in Senegal, the Spanish engineering firm AEE Power is also facing formal scrutiny of its performance in Togo. In a decision published by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARCOP), the Togolese Electricity Company (CEET) has officially acknowledged the Spanish group's shortcomings in the first phase of the Lomé Electricity Network Extension Project (PEREL).

An execution under respiratory assistance

According to the terms of resolution no. 024-2026/ARCOP/CRD adopted on June 19, 2026, the management of the initial project awarded to AEE Power encountered significant implementation difficulties. Faced with these delays and shortcomings, CEET was forced to intervene directly by implementing partial in-house execution. The Togolese national operator thus had to urgently solicit local companies to try to increase the completion rate and compensate for the deficiencies of the Spanish contractor, without, however, managing to complete all the planned work.

These revelations emerged following two anonymous complaints filed with the Dispute Settlement Committee (CRD). The complainants contested the legality of the launch of the new PEREL PLUS project, a contract with a projected value of 5.5 billion FCFA, deploring in particular the dominant presence of foreign groups and the choice of a single lot in the face of the risk of further defaults.

Having reviewed the case, ARCOP ruled in favor of CEET, finding the complaint unfounded and confirming the legality of the shortlist of nine prequalified candidates. The regulatory body reiterated that the single-lot contract structure complies with the specific rules established by the French Development Agency (AFD), the project's strategic funder, whose provisions take precedence over national regulations.

While CEET assures that the risk of default remains limited for this second phase due to a smaller financial volume, these official findings further weigh down AEE Power's balance sheet in West Africa, further weakening its image in the region.