Abstract
There are presently 600 million of people in Africa without access to electricity. To resolve this issue, 100 million of new connexions are needed. These new connexions require more investments in propice environments. However, most investors have reduced their risk appetite for Africa due to the absence of adequate regulatory and policy framework in the energy sector. Many utilities are no longer bankable and trustworthy like before. Stakeholders do not have sufficient financial resources to build or rehabilitate energy infrastructures. Statistics reveal that public institutions will need the support of the private sector in order to emerge. As such, Public and Private Partnerships (PPPs) leading to strategic investments seem essential for the deployment of the African energy sphere. Mini-grid systems are recommended as potential tools for local electrification that will lead to the economic boom of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) developing countries. The challenge is that a suitable business model for mini-grid is not yet identified and continue to be developed. For this reason, this paper aims at encouraging the development of a regulatory framework and replicable business model that will be used by other mini-grid developers to attract strategic investments to implement projects starting at the village level.