In a continent where millions of homes are still shrouded in darkness each night, a groundbreaking initiative is sparking hope.
This week, African and global changemakers will converge in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for the inaugural Africa Heads of State Energy Summit, where they will commit to an ambitious project to connect 300-million Africans to electricity by 2030.
The initiative, dubbed ‘Mission 300’ (M300), represents a collaboration between the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group, alongside other global partners. The project aims to bridge the continent’s vast power divide by leveraging technology and innovative financing.
Several heads of state and government from Africa and the rest of the world will join 1 500 other participants at the January 27-28 summit. Together, they will chart Africa’s course toward universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy by 2030.
The initiative comes at a critical time: nearly 600-million Africans, representing 83% of the world’s energy-deprived population, lack access to electricity.
“No economy can grow, industrialise or be competitive in the dark,” says African Development Bank group president Dr Akinwumi Adesina. “This partnership is a game changer for Africa’s development.” Mission 300, launched at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings 2024, also has the backing of the Group of Seven (G7) and the G20.
The summit is expected to yield two significant outcomes: the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, stating commitments and reform actions from African governments to reform the energy sector, and the first set of National Energy Compacts, which will serve as blueprints for country-specific transformations.
In the first phase of Mission 300, 12 countries will present their energy compacts: Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia. These countries represent more than half of the global population lacking access to electricity and a quarter of those lacking clean cooking solutions. Other African countries are expected to develop their compacts in subsequent phases.
The two-day gathering will also highlight energy sector successes in selected countries, establish an alliance of sector stakeholders to accelerate energy infrastructure investments, and strengthen regional power planning, market trade, and policy frameworks. These efforts will support the implementation of the Continental Master Plan and the African Single Electricity Market.
World Bank group president Ajay Banga outlines a three-pronged approach for success: “We need action from governments, financing from multilateral development banks, and investment from the private sector.”
Already, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and The Rockefeller Foundation have committed $10-million to technical assistance for electricity projects across 11 African nations, while energising initiatives within COMESA, Africa’s largest regional economic community.