Ethiopia is working on an ambitious new electricity access strategy that will require more than 18 billion dollars to achieve nationwide power coverage by 2035.
The plan aims to expand electricity access across the country while also opening the energy sector to greater private investment and long-term infrastructure development.
It is being developed under the third phase of Ethiopia’s National Electrification Programme, which guides reforms in power generation and distribution.
Officials say this new phase is designed to close financing and implementation gaps identified in earlier electrification efforts.
State Minister for Energy Development, Sultan Woli, says reliable electricity is key to Ethiopia’s wider economic transformation.
He adds that the programme focuses on clean energy expansion, climate resilience, increased productive use of power, and digitalisation of the energy sector.
Government agencies are currently reviewing energy policies to attract private investors into power generation and related infrastructure projects.
Ethiopian Electric Power says construction of new plants, transmission lines, and substations will continue under the national framework.
Ethiopian Electric Utility says it aims to achieve universal electricity access by 2035, using both grid expansion and off-grid solutions.
Officials also highlight Ethiopia’s vast renewable energy resources, saying the country is positioning itself as a growing regional energy hub in East Africa.