By Mabel Adorkor Annang
The book Energy Regulation in Africa has been launched in Accra, offering fresh insights into how the continent can improve governance and efficiency in its energy sector.
Titled Energy Regulation in Africa: Dynamics, challenges and opportunities, the book is co-authored by a former Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr Ishmael Ackah, and an applied researcher at the Africa School of Regulation, Dr Charly Gatete. The authors emphasised that improved knowledge-sharing across the continent is essential for strengthening energy governance and enhancing the performance of Africa’s energy sector.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Ackah underscored the need to strike a careful balance between regulatory decisions and political interests, ensuring fair cost recovery for utility providers while safeguarding consumers.
“The book documents some of the successes the sector has chalked up. It also highlights some of the challenges, especially the political economy, the relationship between regulation and politics, and how to balance individual interests and influence to ensure utilities receive prudent cost-recovery tariffs while protecting consumers,” he said.
Dr Ackah added that the book contributes to ongoing continental efforts aimed at strengthening energy governance and improving performance in a rapidly evolving global energy landscape.
Dr Gatete said the book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of energy regulation in Africa, drawing comparisons across countries.
“We realised that Ghana is doing very well in terms of energy regulation, particularly in granting independence to regulators and having a strong policy and regulatory framework compared with other countries,” he noted.
The book highlights the importance of strong regulatory frameworks in shaping Africa’s energy transition, stressing that regulation must go beyond compliance to foster trust, fairness and predictability within the sector.
The authors argued that Africa’s regulatory future depends on balancing growth with equity, building strong institutions and ensuring transparent, inclusive and accountable systems. They further stressed that effective regulation should enhance innovation, investment and equitable access to energy across the continent.
A former Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, described the book as a significant contribution that would be appreciated in the future, urging careful consideration in energy regulation. He said energy regulation should be viewed not merely as a technical issue but as a critical driver of Africa’s development.
Dr Opoku Prempeh noted that regulators can only be truly independent if governments support them with stable funding and clear mandates.
“We often call for independent regulators, and that is right. But independence is not autonomy. Autonomy suggests acting without accountability. Independence is more demanding. It requires fairness, consistency and the courage to stand firm in the face of competing pressures,” he said.
The Deputy Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan-Mensah, said the publication reflects collective efforts to overcome Africa’s energy challenges.
“A lot of work has been done, and years of experience have been put into books that future generations can reference. Even now, more work is ongoing, though it may not yet be documented,” he said.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission, Mrs Eunice Biritwum, also commended the authors for focusing on a just energy transition for the African continent.
Dignitaries at the launch praised the authors for producing what they described as a timely and relevant publication for Africa’s evolving energy sector.
The book is expected to serve as an important reference for policymakers, regulators, industry players, academics and students as Africa seeks to expand energy access while balancing affordability, reliability and environmental concerns.
