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Abstract: The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of the energy planning (EP) activities being conducted in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Of particular interest is the establishment of an understanding of current practices. A matrix of evaluation of literature was developed and applied, to find out who is active in EP, the purposes of EP, how energy demand is considered, the scope of the EP activity, and the specificity of indicators used in the ECOWAS region. Energy planning documents were discovered for ten ECOWAS members and the West African Power Pool (WAPP). Electrical systems planning documents were the most common. A set of common fundamental objectives for the EP activities was found. Disconnections were found between EP Objectives and the Attributes used in the EP activities. Monitoring and verification activities as part of the plans were absent from all of the EP documents. While few similarities were found through the comparison of indicators/attributes used in the EP documents of ECOWAS and those used in more developed countries, in contrast the analysis found similarity between the EP objectives set by the region and those of developed countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]