Africa’s renewable-energy story is about more than building power plants. Generating electricity is only one part of the challenge. The greater task is ensuring that power can move reliably from where it is produced to homes, businesses and public services. Without adequate transmission and distribution infrastructure, new generation capacity cannot deliver its full economic and social value.
This challenge is the focus of the Global Grids Accelerator, launched by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 23 September 2026 during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. The initiative is designed to help countries, particularly in Africa and South-East Asia, turn national and regional electricity-grid priorities into investment-ready and implementable projects.
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The Accelerator is not a new financing institution or a dedicated funding facility. Instead, it brings together technical expertise, project preparation, financing partners and implementation support to help governments advance critical electricity infrastructure. UNDP, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and Sustainable Energy for All are among its convening partners, working alongside other UN agencies, development banks, governments and private-sector participants.
Its relevance reflects a growing global infrastructure bottleneck. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that more than 2,500 gigawatts of renewable energy, storage and large-load projects are waiting in grid connection queues worldwide. Annual global grid investment, currently around US$400 billion, would need to increase by approximately 50 per cent by 2030 to keep pace with electricity demand. The agency also identifies the lengthy development period for transmission infrastructure, which can take between five and 15 years, compared with one to five years for many renewable-energy projects.
Africa faces an especially significant investment gap. The IEA estimates that annual investment in the continent’s electricity grids needs to rise from approximately US$10 billion to nearly US$50 billion by 2030 under its Sustainable Africa Scenario. This is particularly important as renewable generation expands and electricity demand increases. Without corresponding investment in transmission and distribution, new power capacity risks remaining underused.
The scale of the access challenge is equally pressing. The 2026 Tracking SDG 7 report estimates that 655 million people worldwide lacked electricity in 2024, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 86 per cent of the global deficit. This means grid expansion must serve two objectives simultaneously: supporting industrial and commercial growth while extending reliable electricity to underserved communities.
Nigeria illustrates the consequences of inadequate infrastructure. According to a UNDP analysis drawing on Nigerian electricity-sector data, the country has approximately 13.8 gigawatts of installed generation capacity, but only around seven to eight gigawatts can be transmitted, with approximately 4.5 gigawatts ultimately reaching consumers. The difference highlights how generation capacity alone does not guarantee dependable electricity supply.
Regional integration offers another important opportunity. The African Union’s African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) is intended to create a more connected continental electricity market by strengthening cooperation among national utilities, regulators and regional power pools. At its third forum in Accra in July 2026, stakeholders reviewed progress on the Continental Power Systems Master Plan and regional electricity-market integration.
In Southern Africa, the World Bank’s US$12 million RETRADE SAPP programme is providing technical assistance to strengthen regional electricity trading and institutional capacity across the Southern African Power Pool. Such initiatives demonstrate how interconnected electricity markets can help countries share available generation resources, improve system resilience and support renewable-energy integration.
However, regional electricity trade depends on more than agreements between governments. It requires functioning transmission lines, compatible operating standards, reliable grid management and payment systems that give participating countries confidence in cross-border transactions.
The Accelerator also complements Mission 300, the joint World Bank and African Development Bank initiative seeking to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030. In September 2026, the World Bank reported that its supported operations had connected 59 million people between 2023 and June 2026, while the African Development Bank reported 8.4 million connections through its own supported operations over the same period. These institutional results demonstrate progress, but the scale of the remaining access gap remains substantial.
A further obstacle is the financial condition of electricity utilities. The IEA notes that many African state-owned utilities face financial difficulties and high system losses, limiting their ability to finance grid expansion and modernisation. Preparing an infrastructure project for investment will therefore not be enough if the utility responsible for operating it cannot maintain the network, recover revenue or meet its financial obligations.
Grid expansion must also be matched by decentralised solutions. Large transmission lines are not always the most practical or affordable option for remote communities. Mini-grids and solar home systems can extend electricity access where national grid connections remain economically challenging. In Nigeria, the Africa Minigrids Programme, supported by UNDP and the Global Environment Facility and implemented with the Rural Electrification Agency, is supporting the development of 23 additional mini-grids across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Ultimately, the Global Grids Accelerator should be judged by measurable outcomes: projects reaching construction, more electricity reaching consumers, stronger regional power trade, improved utility performance and new connections for underserved communities. Its contribution will depend on whether coordination translates into bankable projects and whether those projects secure financing and move into implementation.
Africa’s energy transition will not be determined by how much electricity it can generate alone. It will depend on the infrastructure that connects generation to demand, the institutions that manage electricity markets and the financial systems that sustain them. The Global Grids Accelerator offers a platform for coordinating this work. Its real value, however, will emerge when plans become transmission lines, reliable electricity supply and broader economic opportunity.
