The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) recently held its second in-person Community of Practice (CoP) gathering ahead of the 10th Alliance for Rural Electrification’s Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF 2025) in Kampala, Uganda. The forum, focused on fostering business and investor partnerships to advance sustainable electricity access, decarbonization, economic growth, and climate action, was chosen by UNDP and RMI as an ideal venue to convene representatives from the 14 AMP participating countries.
Although Uganda is not currently part of the AMP, its strong commitment to expanding renewable energy access and its leadership in the decentralized renewable energy (DRE) sector made it a strategic and fitting host for the event.
The AMP CoP aimed to promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and peer learning among AMP country teams and partners. Held alongside the main conference, the gathering showcased project progress and cross-country insights, and strengthened partnerships through collaborative technical sessions.
Over two days of closed-door sessions and workshops, participants mapped available tools, resources, and support from the AMP Regional Hub—reinforcing community-building and expanding the network of practitioners working to accelerate sustainable energy access across Africa.
Two Days of Deep Engagement and Technical Exchange
Building on the momentum of the broader AMP CoP gathering, the first day of closed-door sessions featured targeted technical cohort discussions and dynamic community exchanges. Participants explored country-level progress, shared lessons, and discussed emerging opportunities within diverse national contexts. Emphasis was placed on unlocking practical solutions and strengthening cross-country collaboration within the AMP network, with a specific focus on Productive Use of Energy (PUE) and private sector engagement.
Technical cohorts delved into core themes such as financing, digital innovation, and the scoping of a new thematic area, offering concrete tools and strategies to support minigrid advancement.
On the second day, two hands-on workshops deepened the conversation. The first focused on preparing stakeholders for the realities of minigrid market development, while the second offered a deep dive into data and digitalization, building on technical foundations laid in previous cohort work.
Highlights
- UNDP’s Resident Representative for Uganda, Nwanne Vwede-Obahor, opened the first AMP CoP closed-door session, remarking:
“We recognize that minigrids offer a viable solution to low access to electricity, especially for rural and hard-to-reach communities. This access can then spur productive economic activities and provide sustainable livelihoods to millions of people. UNDP Uganda is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation...I acknowledge that AMP is working to change this by strengthening policy and regulatory frameworks, mobilizing private sector investments, and piloting scalable solutions.”
- Vwede-Obahor also participated in the first high-level panel that kicked off the EAIF conference, titled “Five Years Left to Achieve SDG7 – Financing Solutions to Accelerate Electrification.” The panel explored urgent actions needed to accelerate global electrification efforts, with only five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- RMI’s Africa Energy Program Director, Francis Elisha, moderated a panel on “Innovative Financing Solutions for Productive Use of Energy (PURE),” where experts discussed financing mechanisms that support the adoption of PURE in agricultural projects—recognized as a key driver of rural development and economic growth.
- UNDP’s Stephen Kansuk, Regional Technical Advisor for Africa, participated in a panel discussion on “Electrification of Health Centres: Energy Delivery Models.” The session highlighted the critical role of reliable and sustainable energy in improving healthcare services, particularly in underserved regions where health centers often face unreliable or nonexistent electricity. Kansuk contributed insights on decentralized renewable energy systems, public-private partnerships, and financing mechanisms that drive investment in health-focused electrification initiatives — including minigrids and solar-powered cold storage.
- Ayodeji Oyo, Senior Associate on RMI’s Global South team, participated in a workshop (PURE : Dos & don’ts — Boost your mini-grid impact) hosted by ADA (Appui au développement autonome) focused on drawing lessons from minigrid operators to advance the Productive Use of Energy (PUE). He shared insights from RMI’s Africa Energy Program, emphasizing how PUE is integrated into the Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) and aligned with the Energizing Agriculture Program, which aims to de-risk agri-energy business models in partnership with local entrepreneurs. Oyo also highlighted RMI’s regional capacity-building and knowledge-sharing efforts, which help reduce the cost of distributed energy resources (DERs) and increase investment in productive energy use to support AMP national projects.
- Fundamentals for Market Preparation: The AMP convened partners and stakeholders from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, CLUB-ER, the African Forum for Utility Regulators, and others for an engagement session focused on the current state of the sector. The session aimed to equip participants with the essential knowledge and tools to navigate the complexities of minigrid market development. It explored key areas such as de-risking renewable energy investments (DREI), enabling frameworks, and policy and regulatory best practices.
- The convening concluded with a session on Data and Digitalization Deep-Dive, designed as a collaborative and interactive forum building on the foundation laid by the AMP Technical Cohort. The session explored progress to date and covered topics such as smart operations, metering, AI, and customer engagement. SME experts were encouraged to participate, offering valuable feedback, sharing insights, and helping shape the future direction of minigrid transformation.
The Energy Talk podcast hosted the AMP for the second time during EAIF to discuss equity in the clean energy sector, focusing on the unique challenges women face and the opportunities for AMP countries to integrate gender mainstreaming across project workstreams, with a focus on Comoros, Malawi, and Madagascar. Stay tuned for the episode.
