The Challenge
While Ethiopia has made significant progress in expanding electricity access—rising from 12.7% in 2000 to 55% in 2022—rural communities remain critically underserved, with over 55 million people still lacking access to reliable energy.
Despite the country’s vast renewable energy potential, electrification efforts face major obstacles:
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A highly centralized energy sector
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Regulatory and financial barriers limiting private sector involvement
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Complex grid arrival risks for existing and planned minigrids
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Lack of structured models for mini-grid decommissioning and waste management
To achieve its ambitious goals under the Africa Minigrids Program (AMP), Ethiopia needed a strong technical partner to support policy innovation, stakeholder engagement, regulatory frameworks, and business model development — while ensuring environmental and social sustainability.
EnGreen’s Solution
EnGreen was appointed as a key technical consultant to design a comprehensive, future-proof framework for the deployment of renewable mini-grids across Ethiopia.
Our approach tackled the challenge holistically, delivering innovative, scalable solutions across several critical areas:
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Inclusive National Dialogue on Minigrid Delivery Models
EnGreen organized and facilitated an inclusive stakeholder consultation process to build national consensus on the best delivery models for mini-grids, ensuring alignment with Ethiopia’s energy strategy and promoting private sector participation. -
Technical and Regulatory Frameworks for Grid Arrival
We developed detailed technical and contractual guidelines to manage the integration of mini-grids into the expanding national grid, protecting investments and ensuring sustainable transitions. -
Waste Management and Decommissioning Strategy
EnGreen created the country’s first operational guidelines for the sustainable decommissioning of mini-grids, promoting safe recycling, disposal of solar components, and alignment with international best practices. -
Business Model Innovation and Private Sector Engagement
We designed new, cost-efficient business models tailored to Ethiopia’s context, aiming to make mini-grid projects financially attractive, scalable, and resilient to market challenges. -
Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer
Through workshops, stakeholder trainings, and strategic communication, EnGreen built local institutional capacities, ensuring that knowledge and tools remain anchored in Ethiopia for the long term.
Our Impact
Through this project, EnGreen is helping Ethiopia unlock the full potential of renewable mini-grids — creating an enabling environment for investment, accelerating rural electrification, and fostering inclusive economic growth.
Our work directly supports Ethiopia’s National Electrification Program (NEP 2.0) and its ambition for universal electricity access by 2025, laying the foundations for a cleaner, more resilient, and more inclusive energy future.
