Africa’s industrial sector is expanding, yet its productivity is often constrained by low energy efficiency and outdated technologies. These challenges are compounded by unreliable power supply, which collectively undermine industrial and economic competitiveness, increase environmental impacts, and discourage long-term investment. 

Against this backdrop, energy efficiency emerges as a cornerstone for industrial transformation. By enabling the same level of output with reduced energy consumption, energy efficiency strengthens critical pillars of inclusive and sustainable development, including energy performance, access, and security. However, its full potential cannot be unlocked through fragmented actions alone. Comprehensive policy measures are essential to scale up innovation, generating ripple effects across the entire value chain and delivering tangible benefits for both industry and consumers. 

Over the past years, African countries have made notable strides in this direction through the development and adoption of regional Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for lighting and cooling appliances, including residential refrigerators and air conditioners. Complemented by the introduction of regional compliance frameworks and public procurement guidelines for energy-efficient products, these advances have laid the groundwork for systemic transformation in East and Southern Africa. 

At the center of these achievements lies the Energy Efficiency Lighting and Appliances (EELA) Project, implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) from 2019 to 2024 with funding from the Government of Sweden. Through strong collaboration with international partners, national governments, regional energy efficiency centres, and the private sector, EELA has significantly reinforced the policy and regulatory landscape for energy-efficient products in the EAC and SADC regions. Building on this solid foundation, the initiative now transitions into the EELA Program, which expands its geographic scope to include the ECOWAS region while deepening regional coordination and broadening its technical focus to new sectors such as industrial motors, commercial refrigeration, and distribution transformers. 

This report explores how recent policy updates on Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for lighting and appliances, together with their progressive harmonisation across sub-Saharan Africa, have generated broad systemic benefits. These advancements are helping to create the conditions for deeper and more lasting impacts on both competitiveness and climate goals. The report also details the processes that guided the MEPS revisions and highlights the complementary measures that support their effective implementation, including enforcement mechanisms, financing models, capacity-building initiatives, and awareness-raising activities that promote the value of energy efficiency.