7 May 2024: The Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) and The Congolese Association for Renewable and Decentralized Energies (ACERD asbl) have announced a collaboration that seeks to bridge the energy access gap via minigrids and decentralized utilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
AMDA and ACERD asbl are expected to work jointly towards ensuring development, financing, and rapid deployment of minigrids to electrify the rural unserved and underserved areas in the DRC. Specifically, the organizations are seeking to advocate and promote the development of policies, regulations, standards, and guidelines that benefit and support the scale of the minigrid sector.
The collaboration seeks to facilitate in-depth research that highlights opportunities and key barriers in project implementation, with the goal of sharing knowledge, data, and information related to minigrid electrification, including data on energy demand and infrastructure requirements, and disseminating information to stakeholders, policymakers, and the public.
“AMDA is delighted to work with ACERD asbl to advocate for optimal policy and regulatory framework that will benefit the minigrid sector and the people it serves.” said Olamide Niyi-Afuye, the CEO of AMDA. “We will work with all stakeholders to unlock the right mix of financing to scale the minigrid sector in the DRC and standardize metrics to measure sector progress and make informed decisions through evidence and research.”
“ACERD asbl is thrilled to have AMDA as a rightful partner for the benefit of the DRC minigrid regulatory and policy framework. To be acknowledged in a partnership with AMDA shows how important it is to secure diligently the pathway for the emergence of minigrid and the development of the energy sector in the DRC,” said Catherine Mukobo, CEO of ACERD asbl.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to 99 million people. The electricity sector is characterized by low electrification rates, with only about 20.8 percent of the DRC’s population having access to electricity in 2020 according to World Bank data, underscoring the urgent need for increased electricity generation and distribution to expand access toward universal electrification. Most of the country is not covered by the national grid and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future, due to the size of the country, the grid’s limited reach and limited investments in transmission.
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About AMDA: The Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) is an industry association created by private sector minigrid developers and development partners interested in improving political and financial environments for minigrid companies in Africa. AMDA serves as the consolidated voice for minigrid developers to accelerate their pathway to scale and sustainability towards achieving universal access to sustainable, reliable, affordable, and modern energy in Africa. To date, AMDA has 43 member companies operating in 22 countries in Africa. For more information, visit: africamda.org.
