AEEP Energy Talks Spotlight – Advancing Rural Electrification in Africa: Scaling Up Regulatory Best Practices to Accelerate Progress in Off-Grid Electrification
In collaboration with GET.transform, the 20th AEEP Energy Talks on 9 July 2025 delved into the critical role of regulatory best practices in accelerating off-grid rural electrification in Africa. The webinar explored how scaling up best practices and harmonising regulatory frameworks can unlock private investments and catalyse the development of off-grid renewable energy solutions across underserved rural areas.
The webinar began with opening remarks from Gianluca Azzoni, Head of Policy and Cooperation at the EU Delegation to the African Union, who highlighted the urgent need to address Africa’s energy access gap. He underscored the EU’s strong commitment to this goal through initiatives like the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative and collaboration with the Mission 300 initiative.
This was followed by a presentation of the African Model Mini Grid Regulations Tool by Bhoomika Tiwari, technical advisor at GET.transform. The tool is capable of developing multiple regulatory templates based on different ownership and legal structures and supports harmonisation and investment-readiness of mini-grid regulations to enable real scale-up across the continent.
A panel discussion followed, featuring Mr. Motlatsi Ramafole, Chief Executive at the Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority; Mr. Mark Hankins, Finance Catalyst expert at GET.invest; Mr. Olamide Niyi-Afuye, CEO of the Africa Mini grid Development Association (AMDA); and Mr. Jens Jæger, Director of Policy and Business Development at the Alliance for Rural Electrification.
The panel explored the key elements of effective regulation for off-grid electrification, with a focus on mini-grids. Panellists emphasised the value of standardising and harmonising regulatory best practices and highlighted successful initiatives such as the African Model Mini-Grid Regulation Tool. The discussion concluded with reflections on how to scale up these best practices and the vital roles that various stakeholders must play in driving regulatory reform.
