{"id":6456,"date":"2026-06-03T08:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stakebridgeirpr.com\/media\/?p=6456"},"modified":"2026-06-03T08:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:14:22","slug":"cote-divoire-widens-electricity-access-through-subsidised-meter-financing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stakebridgeirpr.com\/media\/cote-divoire-widens-electricity-access-through-subsidised-meter-financing\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire Widens Electricity Access Through Subsidised Meter Financing"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Olumide Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The government of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, supported by the World Bank Group, the International Development Association (IDA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is accelerating its drive towards universal electricity access through the Programme Electricit\u00e9 Pour Tous (PEPT). While national electricity coverage reached 88 percent in 2023 and an estimated 94 percent in 2024, affordability rather than grid availability remained the primary barrier for millions of households. Through flexible financing and subsidised meter installation, the programme has connected more than two million low-income households since its launch in 2014 and aims to facilitate over 800,000 additional connections within the next four years.<\/p>\n

DECISION HIGHLIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n

C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire has shifted electricity access policy from infrastructure expansion alone to affordability-driven inclusion, using innovative financing mechanisms to convert grid availability into actual household connections.<\/p>\n

DECISION MEMO <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ivorian experience highlights an often-overlooked challenge in electrification policy: access and affordability are not necessarily the same thing.<\/p>\n

For years, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire invested heavily in generation and transmission infrastructure, achieving one of the highest electricity coverage rates in West Africa. Yet a significant proportion of households remained disconnected because they could not afford meter installation costs.<\/p>\n

The PEPT initiative addresses this market failure by treating connection costs as a financing problem rather than an infrastructure problem.<\/p>\n

Before the programme, installation of an electricity meter cost approximately XOF150,000 (about $250), placing formal access beyond the reach of many low-income households. Under the new financing model, beneficiaries can connect for as little as XOF1,000 and repay the balance through flexible instalment arrangements.<\/p>\n

The programme therefore demonstrates how targeted financing can unlock demand that already exists within an established electricity network.<\/p>\n

The initiative also carries broader economic implications. Electrification is increasingly being viewed as a productivity intervention rather than merely a social service. Access to reliable electricity improves educational outcomes, supports small businesses, enhances labour productivity and expands economic participation.<\/p>\n

The programme further illustrates the growing role of blended finance in development. IFC’s $48.8 million anchor investment in a $97.6 million social bond provided capital for connection financing, demonstrating how private-sector instruments can support public infrastructure objectives.<\/p>\n

According to Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of IFC, “Electricity powers education, healthcare, innovation, and jobs, and is key to Africa’s development.”<\/p>\n

His remarks align with a broader continental agenda. The programme contributes directly to Mission 300, the joint World Bank Group-African Development Bank Group (AfDB) initiative aimed at providing electricity access to at least 300 million Africans by 2030.<\/p>\n

The broader lesson is that Africa’s electrification challenge increasingly concerns the economics of connection rather than simply the expansion of power infrastructure.<\/p>\n

DATA BOX<\/strong><\/p>\n