Uganda–South Sudan: AfDB provides $121 million for a 299 km power line

Uganda has launched the implementation of the power interconnection with South Sudan after securing 91.7 million units of account, or approximately $121 million, from the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, reported Nile Post on September 25, 2026.

A 400 kV power highway

The project, known as the South Sudan–Uganda Power Interconnection Project (SUPIP), involves approximately 299 kilometers of 400-kilovolt double-circuit high-voltage transmission lines between Olwiyo in northern Uganda and Juba/Gumbo in South Sudan, as well as electrical substations.

For South Sudan, whose electricity grid remains very limited, the project promises more reliable and potentially cheaper electricity, according to Nile Post. The European Commission, which presents this approximately 300 km corridor as part of its Global Gateway initiative, sees it as a way to boost cross-border electricity trade and access to basic services.

Gains for both countries

For South Sudan, which relies heavily on expensive generators, the project promises more reliable and potentially cheaper electricity. According to figures reported by AllAfrica, the line is expected to facilitate the exchange of an average of 624 GWh per year between the two countries and improve electricity access for 286,710 people in South Sudan.

Uganda, for its part, gains a regional market for its surplus production and a strengthened network in the north. The project is also intended to integrate South Sudan into the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP).

Timeline

Implementation is scheduled to span from 2026 to 2029, stated Daniel Okelo, manager of grid development at the Ugandan Ministry of Energy, as cited by Nile Post. It involves the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Finance, the state-owned Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), and the AfDB.

This project illustrates a fundamental trend: regional energy integration, financed by an African institution, as a lever for development and stability. This is a major challenge for a continent where hundreds of millions of people still lack access to electricity.