A high-level technical meeting on the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) and the Continental Master Plan (CMP) for Africa’s energy system kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together representatives from AU member states, regional economic communities, renewable energy centers of excellence, and regional and international development finance institutions.
Organized over two days by the African Union Commission’s Department of Infrastructure and Energy, the meeting includes the formal launch of the AfSEM High-Level Technical Supervisory Committee, tasked with accelerating efforts to establish a competitive, sustainable, and integrated continental electricity market.
The event aims to align policies, mobilize investments, and define implementation roadmaps, while updating member states on progress and seeking broader political backing for the continent’s energy transformation.
AfSEM serves as a framework for promoting sustainable growth in Africa’s power sector through integration, as envisioned in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement signed in 2019. Meanwhile, the CMP seeks to address electricity shortages and enable equitable distribution of clean energy resources across the continent.
Gathering over 100 African stakeholders, the meeting provides a strategic platform to rethink the continent’s energy future and forge collaborative solutions to combat energy poverty. The master plan reflects Africa’s ambition for a green and interconnected power grid spanning the entire continent.
