Soon to be the world’s largest workforce, Africans have an opportunity to transform their region into a global economic powerhouse—provided they have access to modern power.
Currently, about 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity. This forces them to rely on firewood and charcoal or expensive and polluting generators to cook, stay warm, and keep the lights on in their homes and businesses.
Turning on the switch for more Africans, either through connections to the electricity grid or distributed renewable energy solutions, such as mini-grids powered by solar panels and stand-alone solar installations, could be transformational for people’s well-being, protecting forests, and all facets of the region’s economy. This is why at the 2024 Spring Meetings, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank launched an ambitious effort to connect at least 300 million people in Africa with electricity access by 2030. That promise, known as “Mission 300,” is now galvanizing development partners and building momentum in Africa and beyond.
Here are five essential things to know about this bold effort:
1. Accelerating access to modern energy is essential. Africa is home to nearly 83 percent of the world’s unelectrified population. Lack of affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy holds back people and businesses. To put Africans on a more prosperous course, the pace of electrification needs to triple. Widespread electricity would also strengthen the region’s climate adaptation and resilience by improving the functionality of critical emergency services, such as hospitals and shelters, and promoting climate-resilient agriculture via solar irrigation systems, refrigeration, and food processing facilities.
2. Momentum is already growing. As part of the initiative, the World Bank Group has committed to connect 250 million people to electricity, while the African Development Bank will connect an additional 50 million. World Bank Group investments are already building momentum towards the Mission 300 goal. In Eastern and Southern Africa, for instance, the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) program aims to connect 100 million people in 20 countries. It has already kicked off in Burundi, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, and Tanzania, with more countries eager to join this first wave. In Western and Central Africa, the Nigeria Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project will benefit over 17.5 million Nigerians, or 20 percent of the country’s currently unserved population, while replacing over 250,000 polluting and expensive diesel generators. The new Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE), covering Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo, also focuses on increasing electricity access for millions of consumers by boosting grid-connected renewable energy capacity and regional interconnections and transmission. In addition, efforts to support regional cooperation through programs in support of the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) are making it possible to supply cheaper and more reliable electricity to 14 countries in the sub-region.
3. The private sector is central to filling funding gaps. Estimates vary but electrifying Africa will require a lot more financing than what development banks alone can supply, making massive private investment crucial to meet Mission 300 objectives. Businesses must step in and scale up investments in transmission, distribution, and cross-border energy trade. Institutions like the International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency within the World Bank Group are collaborating to provide better incentives and guarantees for companies operating in this space.
4. Regional partners are key to our success. In addition to partnering with the African Development Bank, Mission 300 is building on its strong relationships with regional institutions. For example, we are partnering with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which brings together 21 African states, to create a “one-stop shop” regional platform. This platform will provide countries participating in the ASCENT program with access to technical assistance, capacity building, aggregated mobilization for finance, streamlined procurement, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration. The platform also helps prepare projects so they are bankable and investment ready.
5. Philanthropies are eager to support Mission 300. Philanthropy partners, such as The Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and the United Nations’ Sustainable Energy for All initiative, are mobilizing public and private financing to increase and complement World Bank Group and African Development Bank resources. This will be a topic of intense conversations on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
This momentum is most welcome, as every step that brings us closer to achieving Mission 300 also furthers our larger World Bank mission—to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.
