From 10 to 12 September, the African School of Regulation (ASR), in collaboration with the Mini-Grid Partnership (MGP) and its secretariat hosted by Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Makerere University, organised a three-day policy dialogue in Kampala to discuss sustainable and scalable mini-grid models to achieve universal energy access in Africa.
Thirty-two participants representing key stakeholders in mini-grid development in Africa attended the Policy Dialogue, where they discussed in depth a proposal called the Integrated Framework for Electrification (IFE) approach. The IFE integrates mini-grid business models, regulation and financing into the definition, planning, financing and regulation of national electrification policies. It starts with an integrated electrification plan, the definition of scalable and sustainable business models for each electrification mode, and the definition of an integrated financing plan, with a focus on development activities. The IFE is a flexible framework to define mini-grid regulatory and business models that are cost effective, scalable, sustainable and development oriented.
The policy dialogue ended with a debate that resulted in a comprehensible understanding of the IFE approach by the participants. The ASR agreed to prepare a position paper on the proposed approach.
