The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), RES4Africa Foundation and Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) have concluded high-level policy and regulatory training on electricity market design.

The ECA, in a statement released on its website, said the training was a significant step to advance Africa’s electricity reform agenda and increasing private sector participation in clean energy infrastructure.

The initiative is titled “Advancing Africa’s Electricity Reform Agenda Towards Increased Private Sector Participation in Clean Energy Infrastructure.’’

The project builds on successful regulatory work conducted by ECA and RES4Africa since 2019 and has assessed the electricity policy and regulatory frameworks in 16 African countries in four years.

It provides evidence-based recommendations to enhance regulatory openness, attractiveness, and readiness for private sector investments.

The statement quoted Robert Lisinge, acting director of Technology, Innovation, Connectivity, and Infrastructure at the ECA, reiterating the importance of de-risking investments.

According to Mr Lisinge, de-risking investment, especially in an environment where the continent attracts a fraction of global energy investments, calls for a serious look at the policy and regulatory system.”

He said that addressing pressing regulatory constraints and, in some cases, regulatory absence provided clarity to investors.

“ECA’s energy regulation and investment programme aims to bridge this barrier by supporting member states in their efforts to advance regulation and de-risk their markets,” he said.

Similarly, Yohannes Hailu, the ECA’s energy policy expert, said enabling greater private sector investment and participation in Africa’s electricity markets through policy and regulatory enhancements was crucial for sustainable financing.

Mr Hailu said Kenya’s effort to address bulk electricity supply and open access regulation ensured a broader openness of the electricity market to private investment.

According to him, it also serves as a regulatory best practice to inspire similar initiatives across the continent.

“At the heart of this training is the broader initiative to provide technical support to Kenya in adopting and implementing bulk power and open access regulations.

“This regulation has profound implications for opening Kenya’s electricity market to further private investment.

“Kenya’s advancing regulatory framework and emerging public-private partnership models in transmission investment position it among the front-runners in Africa’s energy sector reform,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Roberto Vigotti, secretary-general at the RES4Africa Foundation, said RES4Africa believed that the future of Africa’s energy lies in the hands of a well-informed and empowered community of policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders.

Mr Vigotti said the training represented a pivotal step towards creating an enabling environment for private-sector investments in the clean energy sector.

According to him, collaborating with ECA, GSE and other partners will drive the energy transition across the continent, ensuring sustainable, reliable, and affordable electricity for all.

Also, Alberto Biancardi, Director of Studies, Monitoring, and International Relations at GSE, said GSE was pleased to work with RES4Africa and ECA to further the energy transition.

“We are eager to continue supporting the creation of opportunities for building capacities to design the most effective ways of tackling persistent challenges and taking advantage of the wealth of opportunities on the continent.

“ECA maintains ongoing collaboration with member states in advancing regulation and market de-risking measures.

“This collaboration involves developing and implementing supportive regulatory instruments, capacity-building initiatives, and technical assistance to address the investment gap in the sector,’’ he said.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Enel Foundation collaborated and supported the organisations to ensure the success of the training.

AFRY Management Consulting and Grupo Mercados Energéticos Consultores (GME) are also valued partners in delivering quality knowledge and skills sharing with participating experts. 

(NAN)