Africa’s energy transition is entering a new phase. For decades, the continent’s electricity challenge was largely framed around generation: producing enough power to meet growing demand. But as renewable projects expand, another problem is becoming harder to ignore: getting that electricity across ageing, fragmented transmission networks to the homes, businesses and industries that need it.
Independent Power Transmission Projects (IPTs) are emerging as a potential solution. By allowing private investors to finance, build and operate transmission infrastructure under long-term agreements, the model could bring new capital into a part of Africa’s energy system that has historically depended heavily on government funding.
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The opportunity is significant. Independent Power Producers have already transformed electricity generation in several African markets, but transmission has remained a major bottleneck. Without stronger national grids and cross-border connections, new solar, wind, and geothermal capacity cannot reach consumers or fully participate in regional electricity markets.
One of the most significant developments came in Uganda. In March 2026, the Amari Power Transmission Project reached financial close at $50 million, becoming the first independent transmission project in Africa to reach the construction stage. Developed by Gridworks, a British International Investment subsidiary, with Uganda Electricity Transmission Company, the project is modernising four high-voltage substations, with commissioning targeted for 2028.
Kenya is also advancing the model. In December 2025, the country signed a $311 million agreement between Kenya Electricity Transmission Company and a consortium led by Africa50 and Power Grid Corporation of India. The project involves approximately 620 kilometres of high-voltage transmission infrastructure, including a 180-kilometre 400 kV corridor designed to help evacuate renewable energy from the Lake Turkana wind and North Rift geothermal regions.
South Africa is taking a similarly ambitious approach. In January 2026, seven international consortia were prequalified for the country’s first independent transmission procurement programme, involving approximately 1,164 kilometres of new transmission lines across seven corridors. The initiative comes as South Africa faces an estimated requirement for about 14,000 kilometres of additional transmission infrastructure, highlighting the scale of the continent’s grid challenge.
Regional interconnection is equally important. In East Africa, the World Bank approved a $1.6 billion, 10-year programme in June 2026 to strengthen regional power markets. The initiative includes financing for the Uganda-Tanzania Interconnector, a 260-kilometre, 400 kV transmission line expected to facilitate greater electricity trading between the two countries.
These investments are critical because Africa’s renewable resources are unevenly distributed. Countries with strong solar, wind or hydropower potential may not always have sufficient domestic demand or transmission capacity to use all the electricity they can produce. Cross-border infrastructure can allow surplus power to move to markets where it is needed, improving reliability while creating opportunities for regional trade.
The same principle is emerging in Southern Africa. AUDA-NEPAD brought stakeholders together in Gaborone in August 2026 to advance interconnector projects linking Botswana with Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. The initiative is particularly relevant as drought-related shortages have affected Zambia while countries across the region seek to expand renewable generation.
Africa is also moving towards a more integrated continental electricity market. The African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) and the Continental Power Systems Master Plan are designed to strengthen cross-border electricity trade. The ambition is significant: eventually, interconnected national grids could allow electricity to flow more efficiently across regional power pools and support a more competitive continental market.
However, private capital alone will not solve Africa’s transmission challenge. Investors require predictable tariffs, clear regulations, credible off-takers and protection against political and currency risks. Governments must therefore create regulatory frameworks that make long-term transmission investments commercially viable while ensuring that consumers benefit from improved reliability and access.
The scale of investment required makes this partnership essential. The World Bank’s Mission 300 initiative aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, placing enormous pressure on countries to expand generation, distribution and transmission simultaneously.
The rise of independent transmission projects signals an important change in Africa’s energy strategy. The question is no longer simply how much electricity the continent can generate, but whether its grids can carry that power across borders and into productive economies.
If African governments can combine private capital with strong regulation and regional cooperation, transmission infrastructure could become one of the continent’s most important enablers of industrialisation, renewable energy and economic integration.
