Eastern Africa's $1.6 billion plan to share clean power across borders

Eastern Africa is getting $1.6 billion to connect its power grids so that countries can share clean electricity. The World Bank approved the 10-year programme, called RETRADE-EA (Regional Energy Transmission, Trade and Decarbonization for Eastern Africa), on 18 June 2026.

First phase

• Uganda–Tanzania Interconnector: $250 million to build about 260km of 400-kilovolt line from Wobulenzi via Masaka to the Tanzanian border at Mutukula. It will be able to carry 1,000 megawatts, and completion is targeted for 2031.
• Power trade: $13.5 million in grants to the Eastern Africa Power Pool to help build a regional electricity market. It aims for more than 5,000 gigawatt-hours of cross-border trade a year by 2031.
• New members: the programme also plans to connect Somalia to the regional pool.

The World Bank estimates the programme could avoid about 25.8 million tonnes of CO₂ by replacing power from fuel-burning plants.

A global push for grids

On 23 September 2026, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the Global Grids Accelerator to speed up grid investment in Africa and South-East Asia. "Renewables are booming, but the grids that carry clean power are not keeping pace," he said. Partners include the African Development Bank, the World Bank, IRENA and the IEA. The accelerator will support Africa's continental power master plan, the African Single Electricity Market and Mission 300, which aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

Why it matters

Many African countries have more clean power than they can use at some times of year and too little at others. Connecting grids lets surplus hydro, geothermal and solar power flow to where it is needed. The IEA says Africa's grid spending needs to rise from about $10 billion a year to nearly $50 billion by 2030. Kenya already imports hydropower from Ethiopia: read about Ethiopia's power exports.