ADDIS ABABA, June 26 – The World Bank and African Development Bank have announced that their flagship Mission 300 initiative has connected more than 50 million Africans to electricity across 40 countries, marking a significant milestone toward the programme’s goal of reaching 300 million people by 2030.
Launched in 2024, Mission 300 is the largest coordinated effort to expand electricity access across Africa, where nearly 80% of the world’s population without access to electricity resides.
According to the two development institutions, the initiative is now delivering new electricity connections at nearly twice the pace recorded when the programme began.
Mission 300 supports investments across the entire electricity value chain, including power generation, transmission, distribution and last-mile connectivity, enabling households, businesses, schools and healthcare facilities to gain access to reliable electricity.
The initiative has also adopted a coordinated implementation model that aligns African governments, development partners, private investors and financial institutions behind common national electrification strategies.
To date, the World Bank and the African Development Bank have committed nearly $15 billion in financing to Mission 300 projects while mobilising an additional $4.5 billion in co-financing. Development partners have also pledged more than $7 billion to support Africa’s broader energy sector.
The programme combines grants, guarantees, concessional loans and policy reforms to reduce investment risks and encourage greater private sector participation in electricity infrastructure.
In Nigeria, more than 4.5 million people have gained electricity access through private sector-led projects supported by the initiative.
Meanwhile, Tanzania has connected approximately 7.5 million people under Mission 300, representing a fivefold increase in the pace of electrification compared with previous years.
In Ethiopia, around 4.6 million people have been connected to electricity following reforms that reduced the cost of grid connections.
The initiative has also encouraged governments to develop National Energy Compacts, country-led strategies focused on expanding affordable electricity generation, strengthening transmission infrastructure, increasing renewable energy deployment, promoting regional power integration and attracting private investment.
Thirty African countries have already launched these compacts, with additional plans expected from Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Gabon, Rwanda and Uganda.
Ajay Banga described the milestone as evidence that stronger partnerships are accelerating progress across the continent.
“Fifty million people connected is a milestone, but the bigger story is the pace and the partnership behind it. Electricity is about what it enables: jobs, business, healthcare, education and opportunity,” he said.
Sidi Ould Tah said the achievement should serve as a foundation for even faster progress.
“The 50 million milestone is commendable, but governments, development partners and the private sector must accelerate efforts to achieve electricity access for 300 million people by 2030,” he said.
Mission 300 is supported by a coalition of international partners, including The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and Sustainable Energy for All.
The programme also plans to accelerate new energy projects this year by approving additional investments, supporting regional electricity markets and expanding operations into countries including Eritrea.
With hundreds of millions of Africans still lacking reliable electricity, Mission 300 is expected to play a central role in improving energy security, supporting industrialisation and driving long-term economic development across the continent.
