African Mini-Grids Community of Practice – Meeting 4: Report

Over 600 million people in Africa still lack access to electricity. This energy poverty imposes a significant social and economic burden on communities, affecting their access to education and health services, as well as adversely impacting economic productivity. Mini-grids offer an opportunity to fill this supply gap, bringing electricity to areas underserved or not served at all by the centralised grid. In many places, mini-grids offer the only reliable electrification option.

Mini-grids based on renewable energy sources can assist countries to reach their overall development goals, energy-sector objectives and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Climate Agreement. However, despite their tremendous potential, uptake of mini-grids remains slow. High investment costs and risks coupled with largely unproven business models has resulted in the slow development of the mini-grid sector in many parts of Africa. Download the full report here.

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