17 countries commit to scale up electricity access as mission 300 expands

Orisemeke Benjamin

Seventeen African governments on Wednesday committed to reforms and actionable plans to expand electricity access as part of Mission 300—an ambitious partnership led by the World Bank Group and African Development Bank Group that aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

At the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum, national Energy Compacts—practical blueprints that guide public spending, trigger reforms, and attract private capital—were endorsed by Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, the Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Principe, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, said, “Electricity is the bedrock of jobs, opportunity, and economic growth. That’s why Mission 300 is more than a target—it is forging enduring reforms that slash costs, strengthen utilities, and draw in private investment.”

Since the launch of Mission 300, 30 million people have already been connected, with more than 100 million in the pipeline.

“Reliable, affordable power is the fastest multiplier for small and medium enterprises, agro-processing, digital work, and industrial value-addition. Give a young entrepreneur power, and you’ve given them a paycheck,” said African Development Bank Group President Dr. Sidi Ould Tah.

National Energy Compacts are at the core of Mission 300, developed and endorsed by governments with technical support from development partners. Tailored to each country’s context, these practical blueprints integrate three core tracks—infrastructure, financing, and policy.

Earlier this year, Energy Compacts were endorsed by Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia—together pledging to make more than 400 policy actions to strengthen utilities, reduce investor risk, and remove bottlenecks.

Many development partners and development finance institutions are also supporting Mission 300 projects through co-financing and technical assistance.

Commenting on the landmark event, President of The Republic of The Gambia Adama Barrow, said, “The Gambia’s Energy Compact reaffirms our commitment to universal electricity access by 2030, scaling renewables, strengthening infrastructure, integrating the private sector and improving sector governance. Through partnerships, it aims to transform power supply – ensuring reliability, affordability, and sustainability for all citizens.”

On his part, Ghana President John Dramani Mahama stressed that “Ghana believes universal energy access is key to empowering businesses, reducing poverty, and creating equal opportunities. This goal can only be achieved through strong government–private sector partnerships, supported by an enabling environment for sustainable investment.” While Kenyan President William Ruto, “Energy is a key enabler under the infrastructure component of Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. The Energy Compact anchors our commitment to achieve universal access to electricity and clean cooking and transition our grid to full reliance on clean energy by 2030.”