Half a billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lack access to electricity. Infrastructure investments of USD 22 billion annually are required to provide universal access to affordable electricity. Hence, information about the existing, planned, and necessary electricity infrastructure is crucial to ensure sustainable investments and support positive change in communities. However, the lack of reliable data on SSA’s power grids hinders effective policy-making and infrastructure planning required to respond to challenges in electricity access, power sector resilience, and climate change adaptation. The proposed research aims to develop a novel statistical model that predicts the layout of electricity networks considering uncertainties. The multi-layer network model will consider different scales and types of networks. It will be designed to grow on existing network typologies and be updated when new data becomes available. This will allow forecasting the network development based on modified input parameters, such as policies, climate change, and societal & economic developments. By providing reliable data and modeling approaches, the project will empower stakeholders, including owners, operators, and policymakers, to make informed decisions grounded in evidence and take into account the uncertainty and complexity of the system. With the help from our corporate partners, we will not only advance the theoretical foundations of network science but also help to bring the developed methods into practical use. Hence this project is setting the stage for new innovative research in the field of complex energy systems and will be a milestone for universal access to affordable electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa.