Burundi: Government, Weza Power Sign $1.4 Billion Partnership To Expand Electricity Access

Burundi’s government and Weza Power, a subsidiary of Anzana Electric Group, signed a 25-year public-private partnership agreement on Thursday aimed at mobilising $1.4 billion to expand electricity access.

The partnership aims to increase electricity access from about 15% to more than 50% by 2030, providing electricity for the first time or improving supplies for an estimated eight million people.

Under the agreement, Weza Power will invest in, expand and operate the electricity distribution network in roughly half the country.

State utility REGIDESO will continue supplying electricity through the national transmission network and remain responsible for distribution in the other half.

The project is expected to deliver 52,000 kilometres of new and upgraded distribution lines and connect more than 1.2 million additional households and businesses.

It is also expected to create more than 2,000 direct installation and operational jobs and over 30,000 indirect jobs.

The partners described the agreement as Africa’s first new national-scale electricity distribution concession to be operated by a private company in decades.

The project will combine private commercial capital and concessional funding through a blended finance structure designed to avoid increasing public debt.

Financing is expected to draw on support from Mission 300 partners, including the World Bank’s ASCENT programme, the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and the African Development Bank.

Other partners include the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Gridworks, which is part of British International Investment, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

“Electricity is the foundation of Burundi’s economic transformation and a key pillar of our Vision 2040-2060 ambitions,” President Évariste Ndayishimiye said.

“This partnership will expand opportunities for our people, strengthen our industries, and create conditions for investment, jobs and lasting prosperity.”

Expanding electricity access remains a development priority for Burundi, particularly in rural communities. Achieving that goal requires investment in transmission and distribution networks alongside additional generation capacity.

Hassan Kibeya, minister of mineral resources, energy, industry, trade and tourism, said the partnership would help strengthen the country’s distribution network.

“With Burundi’s installed generation capacity at approximately 183 MW, our focus must now be on ensuring that existing and future generation can be delivered to more homes, businesses and productive sectors across the country,” he said.

“Reliable electricity will power Burundi’s industries, enable local processing of critical minerals, and fuel sustainable economic growth.”

The agreement supports Burundi’s National Energy Compact under Mission 300, a joint World Bank Group and African Development Bank initiative aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

The concession combines tariff and performance obligations with a commercial framework intended to keep electricity affordable while providing investors with the certainty needed to commit capital.

Babacar Sedikh Faye, the World Bank Group’s country manager for Burundi, said the partnership supported the institution’s strategic priorities and Mission 300 objectives.

“Mobilizing private capital is essential to creating jobs and expanding opportunities for Burundian families and communities to improve their livelihoods,” he said.

Anzana Electric Group has invested in Burundi since 2018 through Songa Energy, which has one operational hydropower plant and another under construction.

Brian Kelly, chief executive of Anzana Electric Group and Weza Power, said the agreement followed years of collaboration with the government, local partners and development institutions, including the IFC.

“This PPP will strengthen Burundi’s ability to compete, attract investment and retain more value from its own resources,” he said.

“Reliable electricity will give businesses the confidence to invest, enable critical industries to grow, and unlock more of the country’s economic potential at home.”