World Bank proposed a financing that would support a major upgrade of Addis Abeba's ageing electric grid network as annual demand growth of more than 20pc strains transmission capacity, disrupts services and delays new connections. The financing is part of the Power Sector Reform, Investment & Modernization in Ethiopia (PRIME-1) project. It includes a 200-million-dollar credit from the International Development Association and 17 million dollars in loan and grant support from the Green Climate Fund. Rapid urban growth has placed increasing pressure on transmission infrastructure that has struggled to accommodate rising consumption. The strain has contributed to outages, load shedding and delays in connecting customers. The investment would fund the construction and upgrading of substations, the expansion of transmission lines and the deployment of advanced monitoring systems. The works are expected to improve grid reliability, expand connections and strengthen utility performance while creating employment through infrastructure development.

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