African Mini-Grids Community of Practice (AMG-CoP)

The African Mini-Grids Community of Practice (AMG-CoP) is a peer-to-peer working group for African government leaders committed to scaling up mini-grid policies and systems in their countries. The AMG-CoP is an initiative of the Africa LEDS Partnership (AfLP) supported by the LEDS GP Energy Working Group and Finance Working Group. This unique partnership is centered on peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange among governments, and a member-driven process. The goal of the AMG-CoP is to advance the application of mini-grids as a key energy access and economic development solution that assists countries in achieving their economic, social development, and energy sector goals, as well as their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

AMG-CoP work plan

Governmental leads charged with exploring mini-grid systems typically need to answer a wide range of highly complex questions. Our work plan is based on addressing these challenges in the following areas:

• Designing effective policies and enabling regulatory environments to foster strong collaboration and partnership between public and private sectors.
• Evaluating and promoting proven business and ownership models and best practices to drive commercial viability.
• Accessing and unlocking finance, including engagement with the private sector, and developing finance and regulatory frameworks that de-risk and attract private sector investment.
• Country government members of the AMG-CoP include: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This unique partnership is centered on peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange among governments, and a member-driven process.

Members have identified the following key priority areas for collaboration:

• Fostering African leadership
• Building political momentum
• Developing a mini-grid financing ecosystem
• Developing and collating analytical tools and resources
• Implementing pilot projects