The World Bank Group has approved a US$1.6 billion financing package for RETRADE-EA — the Regional Energy Transmission, Trade & Decarbonisation programme for Eastern Africa — a 10-year initiative to accelerate regional power integration, expand access, and strengthen grid resilience across the region.
A centrepiece is the Uganda–Tanzania Interconnector: roughly 260 km of 400 kV double-circuit transmission line running from Wobulenzi through Masaka to the Mutukula border, creating 1,000 MW of transfer capacity and physically linking Uganda to the regional grid. In parallel, the Ethiopia–Kenya–Tanzania Electricity Highway has entered trial operations at up to 2,000 MW.
By 2031, the programme is expected to enable more than 5,000 GWh of cross-border electricity trade every year, tying the Eastern Africa Power Pool more closely to the Southern African Power Pool.
For utilities, contractors and suppliers across the region, this signals a decade of sustained demand for transmission-grade equipment, cabling and switchgear — the backbone MNT Group is built to support.