AfDB Supports Push to Strengthen Electricity Regulation Across Africa

The African Development Bank (AfDB), alongside Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), has convened a regional peer learning session aimed at strengthening electricity regulation and tariff-setting systems across Africa.

The high-level meeting took place in Nairobi as part of EPRA’s 7th Annual Regional Research and Innovation Conference and brought together regulators, utilities, development partners and energy officials from more than 15 African countries.

The discussions focused on improving electricity tariff frameworks, conducting cost-of-service studies and strengthening regulatory governance as African countries work to expand energy access.

Held under the theme “Strengthening Tariff Setting Frameworks for Advancing Energy Affordability and Security in Sustainable Development,” the event examined practical approaches to balancing affordable electricity with financially sustainable utility systems.

Speaking during the opening session, AfDB’s Division Manager for Energy Policy, Regulation and Statistics, Callixte Kambanda, said stronger regulatory systems were essential to achieving universal electricity access across the continent.

He noted that expanding energy access requires more than infrastructure investment and depends heavily on regulatory institutions capable of maintaining affordability, utility viability and investor confidence.

The session forms part of the African Development Bank’s support through the Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Programme (AESTAP), which assists countries implementing reforms under their National Energy Compacts.

Participants reviewed Kenya’s electricity tariff framework as a case study, with EPRA presenting lessons from its multi-year tariff methodology, stakeholder consultation process and performance-based regulation model.

The discussions also covered challenges affecting African power sectors, including political and economic pressures, consumer protection, renewable energy integration and the financial stability of electricity utilities.

The meeting aligns with Mission 300, the joint African Development Bank and World Bank initiative that seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

Under the programme, the African Development Bank is supporting several countries with reforms covering tariff systems, utility performance, legal and technical regulation, quality-of-service standards and electricity connection policies.

The Bank said the regulator-to-regulator exchange is expected to strengthen regional cooperation and support more coordinated approaches to electricity regulation as African countries expand energy access and modernise power systems.