REPORTS

The COMESA Electricity Market Monitoring Report 2026 provides a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of electricity market performance across ten participating COMESA Member States: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Prepared under the auspices of the Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa (RAERESA), the report represents an important milestone in strengthening electricity market surveillance, regulatory cooperation, and data-driven decision-making across the region. It draws on data submitted by national regulatory authorities and electricity sector institutions through the RAERESA Information Management System, developed with support from the African Development Bank.

The report examines key dimensions of electricity market development, including generation capacity, electricity demand, supply adequacy, system reliability, retail tariffs, cost recovery, market structure, cross-border electricity trade, digitalisation, regulatory governance, and energy security. Its findings highlight the diversity of electricity systems across the COMESA region, with large power systems such as Ethiopia and Kenya operating alongside smaller systems such as Burundi and Eswatini. This diversity shapes market structure, investment needs, reliability performance, and the degree of participation in regional electricity trade.

A central message of the report is that while COMESA Member States have made important progress in expanding electricity infrastructure, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and promoting independent power production, significant disparities remain. Electricity access continues to vary widely across the region, with some countries achieving near-universal access while others still face major electrification gaps. Similarly, system reliability differs substantially, with some countries recording relatively stable supply and others experiencing frequent or prolonged outages. These differences underscore the need for continued investment in generation, transmission, distribution infrastructure, and modern grid management systems.

The report also emphasizes the importance of financially sustainable electricity markets. Tariff structures and cost recovery levels vary considerably across the region, reflecting differences in generation costs, regulatory methodologies, government support, and affordability considerations. While some countries have moved toward cost-reflective tariffs, others continue to face challenges in aligning tariffs with the actual cost of electricity supply. The report therefore calls for gradual, transparent, and socially sensitive tariff reforms that protect vulnerable consumers while improving utility financial viability and attracting private investment.

Regional electricity trade emerges as a critical pathway for improving supply security, optimizing generation resources, and deepening market integration. Cross-border electricity exchanges can help countries with surplus generation support those facing supply deficits, while also promoting more efficient use of regional energy resources. However, realizing this potential will require stronger transmission interconnections, harmonized regulatory frameworks, transparent pricing arrangements, and improved market data systems.

Overall, the COMESA Electricity Market Monitoring Report 2026 provides a valuable analytical foundation for policymakers, regulators, utilities, investors, and development partners working to strengthen electricity markets in Eastern and Southern Africa. It identifies clear strategic reform priorities: strengthening regulatory institutions, improving electricity market data systems, enhancing regional power trade, promoting cost-reflective tariffs, accelerating digitalisation, and building more resilient electricity systems. As COMESA advances its regional integration agenda, the report positions market monitoring not as a one-off exercise, but as a continuous tool for improving transparency, accountability, investment planning, and electricity sector performance across the region.