AfDB, Anzana to Electrify Burundi

Key Figures & Findings: Burundi’s energy access gained fresh momentum this week as Anzana Electric Group, in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), unveiled a $600,000 development grant for Weza Power—an unprecedented national-level private utility aiming to establish nine million new electricity connections. The grant, funded through the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), will expedite the feasibility, environmental, and social groundwork to position Weza Power for full-scale operations. Described by Burundi’s Energy Minister, Ibrahim Uwizeye, as “a bold new model,” the initiative reflects a growing shift toward public-private cooperation to tackle chronic energy poverty across Africa.

Insights: The grant falls under a newly approved regional technical assistance program from AfDB that supports private-sector-led transmission and distribution across sub-Saharan Africa. Weza Power is the first private utility in the region in over ten years and is backed by Gridworks and British International Investment.

Future Implications: If deployment proceeds as planned, Weza Power could deliver reliable, affordable power to nine million Burundians, placing the country squarely within the crosshairs of the World Bank and AfDB’s Mission 300 framework. Further rounds of capital could be unlocked by late 2026 if early benchmarks are met.

Source: Zawya