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Senior African and U.S. power sector stakeholders discuss the projects, challenges, and opportunities shaping Africa’s grid expansion. Topics include best practices for strengthening transmission and distribution networks, mobilizing investment, enhancing grid reliability, and building the resilient, modern power systems needed to deliver dependable electricity to all.

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Strong, forward-looking transmission planning and technologies are essential to unlocking Africa’s diverse energy generation portfolio, improving reliability, and reducing system losses. Best practices in transmission planning, from integrated planning and data driven forecasting to regional coordination and grid enhancing technologies (GETs) are shared. U.S. and African stakeholders discuss the opportunities and challenges with adopting these technologies and best practices across the continent.

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African utilities can leverage smart-grid technologies to improve reliability, reduce losses, and modernize distribution networks. PECO executive Glenn Pritchard shares PECO’s smart grid journey and the benefits of deploying Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), distribution automation, and other grid-enhancing technologies, highlighting lessons learned and investment considerations. U.S. and African stakeholders discuss the opportunities and challenges with adopting these technologies across the continent.

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BREAKOUT 1: Financing and Developing Private Transmission Systems
Private sector participation can accelerate the development of high-priority transmission infrastructure across Africa. Participants explore emerging models - from independent transmission projects to concession frameworks - along with insights from regional developers and other investors on structuring bankable projects, mitigating risk, and aligning regulatory environments to attract long-term capital.

BREAKOUT 2: Rural Electrification
Rural electrification requires practical strategies to expand reliable, affordable electricity access to rural and underserved communities. Speakers discuss proven approaches, including mini-grids, last-mile distribution models, productive-use planning, and financing mechanisms that enable utilities, governments, and private developers to scale rural electrification in a sustainable and cost-effective way.

State-of-the-art planning, operational tools and technologies are critical for integrating large amounts of grid scale intermittent energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) on to the grid. Clyde Loutan of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the market operator for California, shares experience and best practices for integrating intermittent energy supplies. U.S. and African stakeholders discuss practical, scalable approaches for enabling higher levels of integration in Africa while preparing the grid for continued growth.

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Technologies that enhance situational awareness, improve system protection, and reduce outage risks offer African transmission operators practical pathways to modernize their grids and safeguard critical infrastructure. U.S. technology suppliers and power sector stakeholders share how advanced tools and solutions can strengthen the security, reliability, and resilience of transmission networks.

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Attendees meet with speakers in small groups organized by topic.

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Innovative distribution-level solutions help utilities reduce losses, improve service quality, and respond more effectively to operational challenges. Technologies such as AMI, distribution automation, and grid-edge intelligence provide African distribution utilities with actionable insights into strengthening network performance and building more resilient, customer-focused systems.

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Representatives from U.S. government agencies, international funding organizations, and private capital organizations discuss the financing tools, risk-mitigation structures, and partnership approaches to enable utilities to expand, modernize, and strengthen their networks.

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