The African Development Bank in partnership with the Government of Gabon has concluded the 10th edition of the Africa Energy Market Place (AEMP) in Libreville.

The flagship forum, held 8-9 April 2026 at the Nomad Suites Residence in Libreville, Gabon, convened senior policymakers, development partners, and private sector leaders to accelerate reforms and investments needed to unlock Gabon's energy potential and advance the continental Mission 300 initiative.

Mission 300, a joint commitment by the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group, aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, with the Bank Group committed to delivering access for 50 million people.

Launched in 2018, the AEMP is the Bank's flagship policy dialogue platform for the energy sector, operating under the Africa Energy Technical Assistance Programme. Having onboarded 24 countries prior to this edition, Gabon becomes the 25th country engaged through the platform. The Libreville forum served as a critical space for Gabon to align its national energy priorities with the Mission 300 roadmap and develop a robust National Energy Compact that mobilises investment, accelerates reforms, and ensures inclusive energy access.

"Our experience has shown that consistent reforms are the foundation of sustainable power systems. Here in Gabon, we have seen exactly that -- clear political ownership, a coherent Energy Compact, and a shared determination to translate plans into investable projects. Private sector participation is not an add-on to Mission 300; it is integral to its success," said Dr Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for the Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth Complex at the African Development Bank Group.

Participants engaged in structured dialogue across the five strategic pillars of Gabon's draft National Energy Compact: expanding generation capacity and modernising grid infrastructure; leveraging regional power integration through Economic Community of Central African States( ECCAS ) and Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and the Central African Power Pool; scaling distributed renewable energy (DRE) and clean cooking solutions; unlocking private sector investment through innovative financing and public-private partnerships; and enhancing the financial viability and governance of national utility SEEG. Discussions covered the entire energy value chain -- from generation to transmission to distribution -- with particular focus on rural electrification.

Wale Shonibare, Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the African Development Bank Group described the two-day meetings as very fruitful.

"The aim of the Africa Energy Market Place is to create the enabling environment for private sector participation -- putting in place the reforms needed to attract investment and mobilise financing from donor partners, development banks, and private sector developers. This AEMP has been instrumental in consulting stakeholders to strengthen the National Energy Compact and set the scene for rapid implementation. Government ownership is absolutely critical to success, and what we have seen here is exactly that," Shonibare said.

Gabon leads the way in energy access in Africa

Gabon enters this process with strong fundamentals: approximately 94% of its population has access to electricity and around 90% to clean cooking. However, access remains heavily concentrated in urban centres, with a significant deficit in rural areas.

The forum also addressed a critical structural paradox: while some parts of the country experience excess generation capacity, others face persistent shortages -- the result of four isolated grids that are not yet connected. Linking these into a national grid, and ultimately integrating Gabon into the Central African Power Pool and the broader regional energy market under the African Continental Free Trade Area was identified as a strategic priority for energy security, efficiency, and long-term economic growth.

Key outcomes of the forum include a Gabon Energy Access Investment Brief aligned with Mission 300; stakeholder agreement on priority renewable energy and grid expansion projects; draft policy and regulatory reform recommendations with proposed implementation timelines; and the establishment of a Compact Delivery and Monitoring Unit (CDMU) as the Government's mechanism for implementation and accountability. In the months ahead, work will begin on implementing the National Energy Compact, with the AEMP process having laid the groundwork for rapid and coordinated action.

The AEMP-Gabon was jointly organised by the African Development Bank and the Government of Gabon, with co-conveners including the World Bank, Société d'Energie et d'Eau du Gabon (SEEG), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Pool Énergétique de l'Afrique Centrale (PEAC), UN Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Africa Minigrids Developers Association (AMDA), and Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI)

For more information on the event, including the post-event report, please contact

Gertrude Kitongo | Communication and External Relations Department | email : [email protected]