Across Africa, many rural communities still lack reliable, affordable electricity, and conventional top-down minigrid approaches often fall short of delivering long-term impact. The Community-Centric Minigrid Toolkit was developed by RMI in collaboration with UNDP and AMP co-implementers, under the auspices of the Africa Minigrids Program (AMP), to help shift the sector toward more inclusive and resilient models. Drawing on real-world experiences across sub-Saharan Africa, the toolkit introduces a flexible framework that embeds community ownership or co-ownership, inclusive governance, benefit-sharing, social and environmental safeguards, and protections for community investments throughout the minigrid lifecycle.
By bridging the gap between developer-led and fully community-run systems, it equips practitioners to design projects that are technically sound, socially grounded, and aligned with local priorities. The guidance supports developers, governments, financiers, and communities in strengthening sustainability, equity, and impact across rural electrification efforts.