30 June 2025, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-By Dr Baboloki Semele: In a historic milestone for Africa’s energy integration agenda, the African Union Commission (AUC) has officially opened the AfSEM High-Level Technical Meeting, marking the inaugural convening of the AfSEM High-Level Technical Oversight Committee. The two-day gathering, held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, brings together a broad coalition of stakeholders to accelerate the operationalization of the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) and the Continental Power System Master Plan (CMP)—two strategic initiatives at the heart of Agenda 2063. Delivering his opening remarks, Dr. Kamugisha Kazaura, Director of Infrastructure and Energy at the AUC, hailed the meeting as a pivotal moment in Africa’s pursuit of energy access, sustainability, and continental economic integration.
“This gathering is our opportunity to lay the institutional and operational foundation for a truly unified African electricity market—one that delivers clean, reliable, and affordable power to every corner of our continent,” said Dr. Kazaura.
AfSEM, endorsed by the AU Summit in 2021, is Africa’s most ambitious effort to transform its fragmented electricity systems into a single, integrated power market. The accompanying CMP offers a technical roadmap for cross-border energy infrastructure, power pooling, and market harmonization. The AfSEM High-Level Technical Oversight Committee, launched during the meeting, will serve as the engine of implementation—monitoring progress, guiding regulatory and institutional alignment, and coordinating with the AU Ministerial Council on Energy.
“The future of Africa’s power sector lies not only in our political ambition, but in our collective ability to coordinate, innovate, and deliver,” Dr. Kazaura emphasized.
Dr. Kazaura expressed profound gratitude to strategic partners who have supported AfSEM’s journey from its inception. He highlighted the European Union’s critical role in developing the AfSEM Policy Paper and Roadmap, and acknowledged its ongoing technical and financial support through the Continental Energy Programme for Africa (CEPA). He also commended the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany and GIZ for their technical expertise, regional dialogue platforms, and knowledge support.
“Their continued partnership has fortified our capacity to deliver on AfSEM’s ambitious mandate,” he said.
The Director recognized a wide array of continental and regional institutions as integral players in the AfSEM architecture. These include AUDA-NEPAD, AFREC, AFSEC, AFUR, APUA, the five Regional Power Pools, and Regional Economic Communities (RECs). He underscored that their leadership and commitment are key to building a liberalized, integrated, and investment-ready African electricity market. Over the two-day workshop, participants will assess AfSEM’s implementation progress, validate key strategies, and define a roadmap to address technical and regulatory gaps. The sessions will focus on:
- Renewable energy deployment, trading, and manufacturing;
- Market de-risking and investor confidence;
- Institutional capacity-building and regulatory harmonization;
- Alignment with continental priorities such as AfCFTA, the African Carbon Market Initiative, and the Green Industrialization Strategy.
“We must consolidate practical steps to align AfSEM and CMP with broader AU policy priorities,” said Dr. Kazaura, calling for results-oriented collaboration and policy coherence.
The AfSEM High-Level Technical Meeting signals not just administrative progress, but a renewed political and technical commitment to transform the continent’s energy future. With Africa still facing vast disparities in electricity access, the stakes are high—and so is the resolve.
As Dr. Kazaura closed his remarks, he called on all present to make the meeting a catalyst for “concrete action, joint accountability, and continental solidarity.”
About AfSEM
The African Single Electricity Market is a flagship initiative under Agenda 2063 designed to create a unified electricity market across all 55 AU Member States. Together with the Continental Power System Master Plan, AfSEM aims to accelerate universal energy access, promote regional trade, and attract sustainable investment into Africa’s power sector.