The European Union and the African Union have moved decisively from planning to implementation on the African Single Electricity Market, validating a comprehensive package of studies, frameworks and operational tools that will speed up the continent’s integrated power market.
More than 60 representatives from around 35 continental, regional and national institutions gathered at the African Union Headquarters from 3 to 5 June 2026 for the CEPA Technical Consultation and Validation Workshop, hosted by the African Union Commission and co-convened with AUDA-NEPAD. The exercise marks a key step in delivering one of the flagship projects of the Africa–EU Green Energy Initiative under the EU’s Global Gateway.
The workshop approved a comprehensive package of strategic studies on market design and regulatory harmonisation, technical frameworks for grid interconnection and system operation, and operational tools for trading, settlement and monitoring of cross-border electricity flows. These outputs directly support two Agenda 2063 flagships: the African Single Electricity Market and the Continental Power System Master Plan.
The Continental Power System Master Plan is described as the blueprint of the market, setting out the transmission infrastructure needed to link all national grids and regional power pools and enable intra-regional electricity trade. The single market aims to become one of the world’s largest electricity markets by 2040, improving access to reliable, affordable and sustainable power across Africa.
The EU, through its Delegation to the African Union, welcomed the successful conclusion of the workshop and highlighted the single market as a flagship deliverable of the Africa–EU Green Energy Initiative under Global Gateway. This follows earlier milestones, including the 2023 ministerial adoption of strategic and action plans and the master plan synthesis report by the African Union’s energy ministerial decision-making body. The EU has provided continental technical assistance through the EU Global Technical Assistance Facility to support these initiatives.
For the Horn of Africa, the validation of these tools opens the door to faster integration of national grids with regional power pools such as the Eastern Africa Power Pool, more structured cross-border electricity trading that could lower costs and improve supply reliability, and greater alignment of investment plans with a continent-wide master plan rather than isolated national projects. Operationalising the market and master plan is expected to be a phased process, with the June 2026 workshop marking a pivotal step from policy to practical delivery.
