The African Union Commission (AUC) is banking on sustainable and clean energy to underpin Africa’s development and transformation amid revelations that more than 500 million people on the continent live without electricity.
Sara Elhag, head of the Energy Division at the AUC, stated that the lack of access to electricity was limiting opportunities for education, healthcare, industry, and digital inclusion.
The urgency to achieve universal energy access, regional power integration, and industrialisation has never been greater, she said at the second African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) Forum in Egypt on Monday.
“Africa’s development and transformation will be powered by sustainable, reliable, affordable, and clean energy,” said Elhag, who was representing AUC’s Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Lerato Mataboge.
She said the ambition would be realised through strategic continental frameworks such as AfSEM, the Continental Power System Master Plan (CMP), and Mission 300, and complementary regional and national initiatives driving renewable energy, mini-grid expansion, and energy efficiency.
In February last year, AfSEM was adopted by the AU Summit of Heads of State and Government as a Flagship Project of Agenda 2063, following its approval by the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council.
This flagship status provides strategic and political support for AfSEM’s implementation, reaffirming it as an initiative by Africa, for Africa, designed to deliver a single, integrated electricity market across the continent by 2040.
When fully implemented, AfSEM will establish one continental grid ensuring stability in supply, affordability for all, and increased access to modern energy services.
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Beyond interconnection, AfSEM also embraces the off-grid and mini-grid markets, ensuring that no community is left behind. Through sound policies, regulatory reforms, and investment strategies, we aim to de-risk Africa’s electricity market—creating a stable, transparent, and attractive environment for both public and private investment at the national and regional levels.
Elhag said the AfSEM Forum, coordinated jointly by the African Union Commission, Association of Power Utilities of Africa, power pools, and national utilities, served as one of the most important governance organs of the AfSEM process.
She said AfSEM’s vision was to ensure that Africa increases electricity access, improves livelihoods, and ensures environmental sustainability by unlocking its vast renewable energy potential, hydro, solar, wind, and geothermal, while advancing climate resilience and green industrialisation.
This vision aligns with the principles of the African Union Treaties and Protocols, which seek to strengthen continental cooperation among RECs and Member States, and foster the conditions for peace, stability, and shared prosperity, Elhag said.
“In synergy with the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfSEM serves as a targeted intervention to integrate Africa’s electricity systems, allowing power to flow freely across borders, reducing costs, and expanding access,” she said.
“By enabling competitive electricity markets nationally, regionally, and continentally, AfSEM will drive economic efficiency, lower tariffs, and enhance reliability, creating tangible benefits for both entrepreneurs and households.”
During the technical sessions, Shehu Khaleel, senior energy advisor African Union Commission, underscored the critical role of AfSEM in unlocking financing for Africa’s integrated energy future.
“AfSEM provides the enabling environment for investment and financing. It creates stability, transparency, and a platform for public and private sector participation,” he said, emphasising the AUC’s commitment to strengthening regional and national institutions, building capacity, and establishing the governance organs required for effective coordination and implementation.
Panelists, including Ahmad Badr from IRENA, Dalal from EEHC Egypt, and Adama Moussa from the African Development Bank, echoed these sentiments, emphasising the need for collective effort and unified action to ensure the successful rollout of AfSEM.
CMP milestones and strategic direction
A highlight of the Forum was the review of progress on the Continental Power System Master Plan, which recently completed Phase III, delivering a fully harmonised continental investment blueprint integrating generation and transmission priority projects across all five regional power pools.
This milestone marks a turning point in Africa’s energy planning, transitioning from fragmented national planning toward a coordinated continental power system.
The Second AfSEM Forum concluded with a unified commitment to accelerate implementation, deepen collaboration, and deliver on Africa’s vision of “One Grid, One Market, One Vision.”
“Together, let us reaffirm our collective resolve to light every home, power every school, and energise every industry so that by 2040, Africa will stand united under one grid,” Elhag said.
