Lusaka, Zambia – September 22, 2025 — The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), in partnership with the World Bank, convened the inaugural ASCENT Week 2025, a landmark regional event taking place in Lusaka from September 22 to 26, 2025 at Ciela Resort.
The week-long gathering has convened over 400 high-level stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of the ASCENT Program—an ambitious initiative aimed at expanding energy access to over 100 million people across more than 20 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The ASCENT Program, with a core investment of US$5 billion and a target to mobilize an additional US$10 billion from development partners and private sector actors, is designed to transform energy access through innovation, digital tools and regional collaboration. COMESA is leading the implementation of a US$50 million Regional Acceleration Platform to support participating countries with technical assistance, digital monitoring and knowledge exchange.
“ASCENT Week 2025 is a pivotal moment for our region,” said COMESA Assistant Secretary General in Charge of Programmes Ambassador Dr Mohamed Kadah. “It is not just about energy access—it’s about unlocking opportunity, empowering communities and building resilient economies,.”
The event features technical workshops, policy dialogues and interactive sessions focused on accelerating impact, sharing emerging good practices, and charting the next steps in ASCENT implementation.
Delegates will include representatives from national governments, energy ministries, rural electrification agencies, utilities, regulatory bodies and ASCENT project implementation units.
Zambia’s Minister of Green Economy and Environment Hon. Mike Mposha, M.P, emphasized the country’s readiness to lead by example in bridging the energy gap that the region faces. “Zambia is committed to overcoming its energy challenges through bold reforms and strategic partnerships.”
The ASCENT Program offers a unique opportunity to scale up access, modernize our infrastructure, and ensure that every Zambian household and business has reliable, affordable energy. We are proud to host ASCENT Week and to showcase our commitment to regional progress and that’s why we signed to join ASCENT and we are expected to launch the ASCENT project in Zambia in the coming week,” the Minister added.
The World Bank, a key partner in the ASCENT Program, highlighted the importance of regional collaboration. “The ASCENT Program represents a new era of partnership and innovation in energy access,” said Ms. Yadviga Semikolenova, World Bank Energy Practice Manager, for Eastern and Southern Africa region. “By working together through regional platforms like COMESA’s, we can scale solutions faster and ensure that no community is left behind.”
ASCENT Week 2025 will focus on five key objectives include raising awareness on the ASCENT Program’s implementation process, discussing opportunities to accelerate results and impact, sharing emerging good practices across participating countries, highlighting COMESA’s role in supporting national efforts and defining next steps in the program’s rollout.
The event marks a major milestone in the region’s energy transformation journey and is expected to generate momentum for deeper collaboration, faster implementation, and greater impact.