African Union and European Partners Renew EnDev Push to Expand Energy Access Across Africa

The African Union Commission and European development partners have renewed the Energising Development partnership, extending a programme designed to expand sustainable energy access and strengthen domestic energy markets across Africa.

The renewed partnership brings together the African Union Commission, Germany, Switzerland and Norway and was formally launched at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on 28 September.

According to Energising Development, known as EnDev, the next phase will focus on translating continental energy priorities into implementation, including improved access to modern energy services and stronger markets capable of sustaining energy businesses and investment.

From access targets to functioning markets

Africa’s energy challenge is increasingly being framed as both an infrastructure problem and a market-development problem. Extending electricity connections remains essential, but long-term access also depends on viable businesses, affordable technologies, local supply chains, maintenance capacity and financing.

The renewed EnDev partnership places particular emphasis on inclusive domestic energy markets. That approach can encompass decentralised renewable-energy systems, clean cooking solutions and other technologies capable of reaching households and businesses that are difficult or expensive to serve through conventional grid expansion alone.

The programme’s launch at African Union headquarters also links the partnership more closely to Africa-led energy priorities at a time when the continent is attempting to accelerate electrification while expanding productive use of power for agriculture, industry and small businesses.

Energy access as an economic-development issue

Reliable energy is a foundational constraint across multiple sectors. Businesses need predictable electricity to operate machinery and digital systems, health facilities require dependable power for equipment and cold chains, and schools increasingly depend on electricity and connectivity for learning.

For policymakers, this makes energy access inseparable from industrialisation, employment and productivity. The challenge is particularly acute in markets where grid expansion is slow and utilities face financial or operational constraints.

Decentralised energy systems can complement national grids in these settings, but scaling them requires more than donor-funded installations. Sustainable markets need predictable regulation, consumer finance, local technical capacity and business models capable of maintaining equipment after initial project funding ends.

Part of a larger continental energy agenda

The partnership renewal comes as African institutions pursue several interconnected efforts to expand electricity access and build a more integrated energy market. These include initiatives to strengthen regional power pools, increase cross-border electricity trade and mobilise private investment into generation and transmission.

For EnDev, the next phase will be judged by its ability to turn high-level commitments into energy services that households and businesses can use reliably and affordably. The emphasis on domestic market development is significant because it shifts part of the conversation from individual projects toward the commercial and institutional systems required to sustain access at scale.

Source: Energising Development (EnDev).