• Gridworks and the Ugandan government signed two agreements to begin construction of the $50 million Amari power transmission project.

• The project will upgrade four high-voltage substations to strengthen grid reliability and integrate renewable generation.

• Gridworks said the project marks Africa’s first privately led power transmission project to reach the construction phase.

Gridworks Group and the government of Uganda announced on February 4, the signing of two key agreements that clear the way for the imminent start of construction on the Amari Power Transmission project. The agreements include an implementation agreement with Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and a transmission services agreement with the state-owned Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited.

Estimated at $50 million, the Amari project aims to strengthen transformation capacity at four strategic high-voltage substations on the national grid. The works will target the Tororo substation (220 kV) in eastern Uganda near the Kenyan border, the Nkenda substation (132 kV), which serves as a key interconnection point with the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Mbarara North (132 kV) and Mbarara South (220 kV) substations in western Uganda.

The project seeks to improve power supply quality for industrial users, reduce system losses and support the integration of existing and future renewable generation capacity. Gridworks, a subsidiary of British International Investment, said the project represents the first privately sponsored power transmission project in Africa to enter the construction phase.

“The Amari power transmission project constitutes a strategic pillar of our long-term agenda to modernize and future-proof Uganda’s national electricity grid. By strengthening transmission infrastructure, we enable reliable power supply to support industrial growth, regional power trade and inclusive socio-economic transformation. Our partnership with Gridworks reflects our commitment to mobilizing sustainable private capital and expertise to accelerate priority energy investments,” said Ruth Nankabirwa, Uganda’s minister of energy and mineral development.

According to the report Financing Electricity Access in Africa, published in October 2025 by the International Energy Agency, national grid expansion has remained the primary mode of electricity supply across Africa. Between 2015 and 2024, cumulative investments in power grids in sub-Saharan Africa reached $54 billion, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 6% over the past decade, which remained below levels recorded in Southeast Asia, where several countries achieved universal electricity access.

The report also noted that, until 2023, governments accounted for nearly all investments in African power grids, with only four countries allowing private participation in electricity transmission. Amid high public debt levels and financial pressure on state-owned utilities, the IEA said some governments have begun opening their grids to private financing to meet rising investment needs.

This article was initially published in French by Abdoullah Diop

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de BERRY QUENUM