In a significant effort towards continental energy integration, African leaders and energy experts gathered in Addis Ababa earlier today for the formal inauguration of the High-Level Technical Oversight Committee of the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM).
The event marked a critical moment in Africa’s journey towards building the world’s largest interconnected electricity market, aimed at boosting energy access, reliability, and sustainability across the continent.
Representing the Government of Ghana, the Deputy Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon. Richard Gyan-Mensah(MP) in his keynote address, applauded the establishment of the committee and emphasized the urgency of its work.
“It is a privilege to witness this milestone in Africa’s collective journey towards a unified and sustainable electricity market,” Hon. Gyan-Mensah stated. “On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Ghana, I extend warm congratulations to the members of the Committee. We are confident that your expertise and commitment will help deliver AfSEM’s transformative goals.”
AfSEM, an initiative of the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), seeks to harmonize electricity markets across African countries, which allows for efficient cross-border electricity trade and supporting the transition to renewable energy.
The newly inaugurated High-Level Technical Oversight Committee will be tasked with guiding the implementation of AfSEM’s regulatory frameworks, technical standards, and governance systems. Its work is expected to be instrumental in bridging power supply gaps, lowering energy costs, and driving green industrial development.
Encouraging the Committee to act decisively, Hon. Gyan-Mensah called for “ambition, technical rigor, and a spirit of collaboration,” emphasizing that the continent was counting on the body to “translate AfSEM from a vision into reality.”
