Windhoek forum calls for stronger links between African power pools

Saturday 14th November 2026

By inAfrika Newsroom

Participants at a regional meeting in Windhoek called for stronger electricity connections between the Eastern Africa Power Pool and the Southern African Power Pool. They also urged countries to bring the technical, regulatory and commercial rules for cross-border power trade into closer alignment, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s report on the 12 November session.

A power pool gives utilities a way to buy and sell electricity across national borders. The meeting tied wider access to regional electricity markets to industrial demand, including growing demand from data centres and electric transport. Participants also discussed how constraints on transmission can limit the supply that physically reaches customers.

The session called for countries to improve preparation of transmission projects and how they are financed, while aligning electricity planning with industrial development. It also proposed investment in renewable energy, efficiency and digital infrastructure, and called for more training and manufacturing capacity for energy equipment.

The session took place during a 10–13 November meeting for officials and development partners from Eastern and Southern Africa. The recommendations were published as a record of the discussion. The commission announced no new construction award or funding commitment for a link between the two pools.

Separately, the UK has announced US$4 million to strengthen the Eastern Africa Power Pool through a World Bank programme, including work on rules for regional electricity trading.

Have a verified news development or story? Send news submissions and supporting materials to news@inafrika.co.tz