African Development Bank and Gabon Conclude Africa Energy Market Place 10th Edition to Accelerate Renewable Energy, Grid Expansion and Mission 300 Goals

The African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership with the Government of Gabon, has concluded the 10th edition of the Africa Energy Market Place (AEMP) in Libreville. The high-level forum brought together policymakers, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to advance energy sector reforms and investments aligned with Gabon’s national priorities and the continental Mission 300 initiative.

Mission 300, jointly led by the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group, aims to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030, with AfDB targeting 50 million connections.

Launched in 2018, the AEMP serves as AfDB’s flagship policy dialogue platform under the Africa Energy Technical Assistance Programme. With Gabon becoming the 25th participating country, the Libreville edition focused on aligning national energy strategies with a structured National Energy Compact designed to mobilize investment and accelerate reform implementation.

AfDB Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, Dr. Kevin Kariuki, emphasized that sustained reforms and private sector participation are essential for building sustainable power systems and achieving Mission 300 targets. He noted strong political commitment and progress in developing investable energy projects in Gabon.

Discussions were structured around five key pillars of Gabon’s draft National Energy Compact, including expansion of generation capacity, modernization of grid infrastructure, regional integration through ECCAS and CEMAC power pools, scaling distributed renewable energy and clean cooking solutions, and improving utility governance and financial viability. Special focus was placed on rural electrification and private sector investment through public-private partnerships.

AfDB Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, Wale Shonibare, highlighted that the forum is designed to create an enabling environment for investment by strengthening policy frameworks and mobilizing financing from development partners and private investors.

Gabon currently records around 94% electricity access and 90% clean cooking access, though disparities remain between urban and rural areas. A key structural challenge identified during the forum is the existence of four isolated power grids, leading to imbalances between surplus and deficit regions. Participants stressed the need for a unified national grid and eventual integration into the Central African Power Pool under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.

Key outcomes of the forum include an Energy Access Investment Brief aligned with Mission 300, agreement on priority renewable energy and grid expansion projects, draft policy and regulatory reform measures with implementation timelines, and the creation of a Compact Delivery and Monitoring Unit (CDMU) to oversee execution.

The AEMP-Gabon was jointly organized by AfDB and the Government of Gabon, with support from the World Bank, SEEG, ECCAS, PEAC, SEforALL, AMDA, an