REPORTS

AESTAP is a flagship technical assistance initiative of the African Development Bank (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 (TA) 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.

The initiative offers critical upstream technical assistance necessary to unlock investment, strengthen institutions, and implement effective reforms that enhance the robustness and sustainability of energy systems. AESTAP is structured around five components.

Funding for AESTAP primarily comes from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), which has committed USD 17 million to date. This funding supports technical assistance projects aligned with national priorities and the country’s readiness for reform. In addition to SEFA, AESTAP benefits from strategic partnerships with the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA) and the Korea Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC), which have supported the digitalization of regulatory authorities through the deployment of Regulatory Database Management Systems (RDBMS) in Uganda, Liberia, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Ghana.

By addressing knowledge gaps, regulatory bottlenecks, and capacity constraints, AESTAP lays the foundation for a new era of energy development in Africa—one driven by renewable energy, regional integration, and participation from the private sector.

AESTAP 4 pillars

01. Knowledge and policy dialogue

02. Power sector policy, regulation, and planning

03. Sustainable utility transformation

04. Regional integration and power markets

This newsletter outlines the achievements of AESTAP in the last few months, and also to highlight critical ongoing activities under the AESTAP initiative.