Sustainability, Inclusiveness and Governance of Mini-grids in Africa: Mini-grid Database, 2022-2025

This collection contains a comprehensive file consisting of information on mini-grids in four African countries, namely Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania. The data was collected by a team of researchers who participated in the GCRF funded project titled SIGMA - Sustainability, Inclusiveness and Governance of Mini-grids in Africa (ES/T006684/1 and ES/t006684/2).

The project aimed to provide an applied and analytical approach to uncover the complex dynamics behind the challenges of installing sustainable and inclusive decentralised electricity systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. With comparative case studies from Senegal, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya, the key objectives in undertaking this research were to: a) develop an evidence base in the performance of mini-grids in the case study countries; b) undertake an analysis of existing business models and the policy framework in each case; and c) take forward analytical concepts of the political economy of decentralised electricity systems to understand the political drivers behind differences in the speed of adoption of mini-grids in different countries.

The database preparation activity was led by ECREEE (ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) and supported by all project partners (ICEED in Nigeria, TaTeDo in Tanzania, Centre for Frugal Innovation in Kenya, De Montfort University, and University of Surrey). The data was collected from secondary sources and databases of national Rural Electrification Agencies and International Organisations such as ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

The dataset includes information on mini-grid location, technology used, capacity, user information, ownership model, funding sponsors, year of commissioning and its status at the time of reporting (31st March 2025). Where data is missing, the entries are left blank.