More countries move to end power monopolies

October 29, 2025

Dear subscriber,

African power markets are opening — a move investors welcome. But it can also bring unintended consequences that slow progress. The need for innovative financing does not end.

– Sammy Jamar, Editor

In the wake of ongoing energy challenges, Zimbabwe has ended the decades-long monopoly of its electricity network. The private sector can now participate in the retail and distribution of power. This marks a major turning point that is expected to catalyse private investment, particularly in energy-intensive sectors with strong revenue potential.

  • Zimbabwe joins a growing list of countries with progressive energy policies: South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia. Others like Kenya are still developing policy frameworks. South Africa remains the most mature liberalised market.

  • More African countries burdened by debt are exploring the opening of their electricity markets to the private sector. The World Bank and AfDB are supporting at least 29 governments to create supportive frameworks.

  • Our take: Zimbabwe must attract concessional loans and public-private partnerships to make projects viable amid debt and inflation pressures… Read more (2 min)

Dust accumulation causes solar panel efficiency losses of up to 30% or more in arid regions, necessitating frequent cleaning that wastes scarce water. Researchers in Egypt have now developed a self-cleaning system based on vibrations that keep panels clean without water or manual work to maintain panel output in the desert.

  • Though not the first of its kind, being locally made in Egypt gives the solution a stronger chance of suiting local conditions. China has pioneered several robotic systems not reliant on water.

  • Most other cleaning methods are expensive and water-intensive. Often they involve recurring costs for trucks, chemicals and labour.

  • Our take: The technology is promising. The question is whether it can run without the economics unravelling in the field.… Read more (2 min)

Nigeria’s Electricity Act 2023 liberalised the power market, giving all 36 federal states control over their electricity sectors. But this has resulted in 36 separate markets, creating both opportunities and challenges, says Abdulwasiu Esuola in today’s opinion piece. Stronger federal state cooperation could unify policies, ease regulation and speed up project delivery.

  • “Differing licensing requirements, technical codes, or rules related to competition and market power across States could increase compliance costs and administrative complexity,” says Mr Abdulwasiu.

  • He is a Senior Associate at Duale, Ovia & Alex-Adedipe, a specialised Nigerian law firm providing relevant legal services. He has advised various energy companies and helped them secure funding.

  • Read the full opinion article here… Read time (4 min)

The International Geothermal Association evaluates Kenya’s preparedness to host the World Geothermal Congress 2029  

Events

📆 Take part in the Nigeria Energy forum (Oct 30)

📆 Participate in the C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg 2025 (Nov 4)

📆 Join peers at the Youth in Energy Transition event (Nov 7)

📆 Sign up for the Powerelec Kenya 2025 event (Nov 11)

Jobs

👩‍💼 Become Sun King’s Area Business Manager (Uganda)

💼 Join Scatec Solar as an Information Management Lead (Tunisia)

👨‍💻 Apply to Karm Solar’s Supply Chain Officer position (Egypt)

Various 

💡 Rwanda deploys solar DigiTruck for citizen digital training

🔌 CREI teams up with Orange Mali for solar-powered telecoms

⚡️ Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe begins work on a 70 MW solar power plant

⚙️ Camco releases toolkit to help manage renewable energy supply chain risks

Seen on LinkedIn 

Gavin Mooney, General Manager at Kaluza, says, "While some rich countries have transitioned away from coal, at a global level we haven't been replacing fossil fuels with renewables — we've simply been using more electricity.”