Mini-grids session I: Setting the scene – Aligning the pathways to scale

To ground the workshop in the current realities of mini-grid markets in Africa, frame the key structural constraints limiting scale, and align stakeholders around the three interdependent pathways - developer execution, financing, and public-sector frameworks - that must evolve together to enable large-scale deployment. 

The session will draw on recent industry perspectives, including AMDA’s “17 Actions,” to anchor the discussion in practitioner experience and highlight priority actions required from governments, investors, and industry to deliver mini-grids at scale under Mission 300. 

Key Themes 

• The gap between electrification ambition and actual mini-grid deployment at scale  

• Structural constraints across the ecosystem, as identified by industry  

• The interdependence of developer capacity, financing models, and enabling frameworks  

• The need for coordinated, system-level action across three core market pillars: 
  i) Developer execution capacity 
  ii) Financing architecture 
  iii) Public-sector market frameworks  

• How the programmes represented in this workshop are addressing these constraints and where gaps remain