AREP - MDTF 2016-23, stöd till SAPP/EAPP för regional elhandel o integration AREP - MDTF 2016-23, support to SAPP/EAPP for reg electricity trade &integration Insatsen består av ett stöd till en givarfond (s.k. Multi Donor Trust Fund) som administreras och implementeras av Världsbanken. Fondens syfte är att förbättra tillgången till förnybar energi genom att snabba på utbyggnaden av kraftproduktionen, bygga regionala transmissionsledningar i Södra och Östra Afrika samt att utveckla den regionala krafthandeln. Stödet går framför allt till Southern African Power Pool (genom deras s.k. Project Acceleration Unit, PAU) samt till Eastern Africa Power Pool. I stödet ingår även insatser för kapacitets och organisationsutveckling samt för strategiska sektorstudier relaterade till utveckling av regional krafthandel. Insatsbeslutet är femårigt och baserar sig på ett av Regeringen fattat beslut om ny strategi för regionalt samarbete med Afrika söder om Sahara den 22 juni 2016. Berednings-PM har skrivits på engelska då flera av Sida's handläggare av ärendet och av energiinsatser i Afrika inte är svensktalande. This is a contribution to a multi-donor Trust Fund administered by the World Bank with the aim to accelerate the construction of regional transmission lines of renewable energy generation plants in Southern and Eastern Africa, and to help these countries to build a regional power trading. The contribution is mainly channelled to the Southern African Power Pool (to the so-called project acceleration team) and the Eastern Africa Power Pool . This support includes considerable efforts for capacity and organisational development and strategic sector studies related to the development of regional power trade . The International Development Association (IDA) (The World Bank) established a Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) called Advancing Regional Energy Projects in Southern and Eastern Africa (AREP) to channel interested donors funding towards the objectives of connecting countries through energy transmission lines and to establish a platform for regional power trade. Sida was the first donor, with a financial agreement in 2016 with the World Bank at an amount of SEK 158 million allocated to the MDTF. At the beginning of 2021 Norway also joined the fund with additional 100 mNOK. The World Bank contributes with 25 million $ in parallel funding and other donors like AfDB, USAID, AfD also contributes with parallel funding.
The World Bank has since 2019 an engagement strategy with substantially more financing for regional energy integration lined up. It is called the Regional Integration and Cooperation Assistance Strategy (RICAS) for Africa for a five year period up to 2023.
The overall objectives of the AREP Multi-Donor Trust Fund is to extend reliable and sustainable electricity supply in Southern and Eastern Africa. The anticipated specific outcomes are: (a)  advance the preparation of prioritized regional non-fossil energy projects (both transmission and generation) in Southern and Eastern Africa; and (b) support the development of power trade through the establishment and development of so called Power Pools.
Regional power integration has huge effects on economic and social growth. Countries in the two regions will be enabled to scale up and improve access to electricity services for the benefit of their residents and firms. Power trade will facilitate development of more cost-effective and cleaner energy resources, resulting in large cost savings and in a reduction of the carbon footprint associated to energy use. Only in the Southern African region regional power trade is expected to save 41 million ton CO2 emissions annually. Similar figures for East Africa are expected.
Electricity trade could also save enormous amount of resources. An economic simulation study based on data derived from the EAPP regional master plan 2014, estimates the impact of power trade under two scenarios – shallow and tight integration versus a business as usual scenario. The analysis suggests that under shallow integration, Eastern Africa could accrue up to USD 7.6 billion in economic benefits between 2020-2030. If the power pool evolves to tighter integration by 2025, these benefits could be as high as USD 18.6 billion over the same period. 
It is estimated that increasing regional integration in SAPP power sector can provide overall cost savings of $37 billion in the Southern African Development Community region (SADC) through coordinated generation and transmission planning (NPV up to 2040).