NEWS

As African countries accelerate efforts to achieve universal energy access, 12 Compact Cohort 1 nations are now establishing Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units (CDMUs) - government-led platforms designed to coordinate, track, and report on progress under Mission 300.

These countries include Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Mauritania, Zambia, Madagascar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, and Liberia. Malawi and Nigeria CDMUs are already fully operational, while others are at advanced stages of staffing or obtaining legal approval.

Each CDMU is typically hosted in a Presidential, Prime Ministerial, or Ministerial office, giving it the authority to coordinate cross-sector reforms. Its responsibilities include developing projects and financing pipelines, identifying bottlenecks, integrating clean cooking and gender priorities, and tracking progress through the Mission 300 Compact Monitoring Tool.

“The establishment of CDMUs marks a major milestone in strengthening country ownership of energy reforms,” said Wale Shonibare, AfDB’s Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation. “Through the Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Program (AESTAP), the Bank aims at providing the technical assistance, coordination tools, and reform expertise that are helping governments move from commitments to delivery.”

AESTAP will play an instrumental role in conceptualizing, funding, and operationalizing the CDMU framework. Working with the AfDB’s country offices and Mission 300 partners, the program provides technical assistance, capacity building, and institutional design support to ensure that each CDMU is effectively anchored in government.

This assistance will also deploy experts across multiple CDMUs to provide specialized support in various energy sectors, thereby enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of the CDMUs.

“AESTAP provides the connective tissue of Mission 300,” Shonibare added. “It ensures that countries have both the technical and institutional muscle to deliver on their electrification goals.”

With the compacts for Cohort 2 countries finalized and launched, it is expected that the number of operational CDMUs will rise by 2026 and onwards, representing a critical shift from policy commitment to implementation and investment readiness.

AESTAP is a flagship technical assistance initiative of the AfDB aimed at strengthening energy systems, accelerating access to electricity, and facilitating a just energy transition across Africa. With nearly 600 million people still lacking electricity, AESTAP provides the essential support needed to unlock investments and stimulate reform in the energy sector.

AESTAP delivers targeted technical assistance to countries and regional institutions, addressing policy, regulatory, and utility-level challenges that hinder progress. Its approach is programmatic, demand-driven, and phased, tailored to each country’s readiness for reform, national priorities, and previous engagement with the Bank.