Uche Cecil Izuora
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has pledged to provide more support to the Eastern Africa Power Pool, as African nations embark on expanded energy projects to close wide energy gap.
Also, the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) a similar initiative adopted by countries in West Africa has so far achieved major milestone giving hope for million of people and businesses in the region.
Countries across East Africa have taken an important step towards improving the joint planning and sharing of electricity across the region, following a two-day workshop on the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) Regional Power System Master Plan (RPSMP), held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 29 to 30 September 2026.
The workshop was organised by the African Development Bank Group in collaboration with the EAPP General Secretariat, with financing from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) through its Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Programme (AESTAP). It supports the ongoing update of the master plan, which the Bank is undertaking with the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) under AESTAP’s regional integration and power market development pillar.
The EAPP regional master plan provides a long-term framework to help countries assess future electricity needs, available generation capacity and the transmission infrastructure required to connect power systems across the region. Developing this shared planning framework requires reliable data and a common understanding of the region’s evolving power needs.
The workshop convened representatives from the power utilities of the 16 EAPP member countries, the African Union Commission (AUC), AUDA-NEPAD, and Energy Market and Rates Consultants (EMRC), a management consulting firm supporting the review.
Participants reviewed electricity demand forecasts, existing and planned generation capacity, as well as the transmission networks connecting countries across the region. They also assessed the quality and completeness of existing data and identified gaps requiring further attention.
The workshop also strengthened the capacity of national experts in electricity demand forecasting, helping countries improve the quality of their inputs to the master plan and supporting more coordinated, evidence-based regional energy planning. Working together through the implementation of the revised master plan, countries can improve the quality of information, strengthen technical capacity and make better decisions about where and how to invest in electricity infrastructure for regional power trade.
“By supporting the update of the EAPP Master Plan, the African Development Bank Group is not just a financial sponsor but a long-term stakeholder whose commitment is written into the very grid lines of the region,” said Miriam Emelife, Chief Government & Regional Organizations Officer at the Bank Group.
James Wahogo, Secretary General of the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP), said, “This workshop marks an important step in our efforts to build a better-connected electricity system in East Africa. Reliable information is essential for understanding future electricity needs and planning the investments required. The discussions with member utilities and our partners will help us move forward with a shared vision for a stronger regional power system and greater electricity trade between countries.”
Harrison Sungu, Senior Manager of Transmission System Planning and Coordinator for the PPP Project at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO), and a member of the EAPP Planning Sub-Committee, said more refined data increases the credibility of demand forecasts and of the planning process. Inaccurate data, he added, can produce unjustified demand projections and steer planning in the wrong direction.
The recommendations from the workshop will guide the next stage of the master plan study. EAPP member countries will continue working together to strengthen data collection, complete the technical work, and identify investments needed to meet future electricity needs.
The work also contributes to the broader goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and supports the regional integration objectives of Mission 300, the joint initiative led by the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group to connect 300 million additional people to electricity across Africa by 2030. By strengthening regional power planning, interconnections and cross-border electricity trade, the regional master plan can help create the conditions for more reliable and sustainable electricity systems.
The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) is a regional institution established in 2005 to coordinate cross-border power trade and grid interconnection among nations of the Eastern Africa region.
The EAPP currently has thirteen (13) member countries who signed the Inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding, and sixteen (16) utilities who signed the Inter-Utility Memorandum of Understanding.
The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) brings countries and electricity utilities together to improve regional power planning, connect electricity networks and facilitate cross-border electricity trade. Its work supports the development of a more connected regional electricity system capable of meeting East Africa’s growing energy needs
Meanwhile, the West African Power Pool (WAPP) is gaining significant traction through regional grid integration, major transmission projects, and the rollout of an active cross-border electricity market.
In November 2025, WAPP completed a historic four-hour real-time synchronization test connecting member national grids into a single network, moving toward permanent synchronization in 2026.
Over 4,000 km of high-voltage lines connect 15 West African countries, enabling regional power trade to reach roughly 8 percent of total consumption—closing in on European standards.
The WAPP and the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority also launched a structured market where utilities buy and sell power, returning utilities like The Gambia’s NAWEC and Guinea-Bissau’s EAGB to profitability through cheaper imported hydropower.
Transmission and distribution projects provided electricity access to 3+ million people across Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia between 2019 and 2025.
High-priority transmission lines—including multi-billion-dollar pipelines connecting Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire—are actively being pitched to international investors.
A 330-kilovolt interconnection linking Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo (targeting ~430 MW to 600 MW capacity) continues to advance despite regional security and political hurdles.
The West Africa Regional Electricity Market Program, backed by a $1.6 billion IDA package, supports phase-one projects like the Ghana–Côte d’Ivoire interconnection and Mauritania transmission corridors.