Across the world, access to reliable, affordable electricity is widely regarded as a cornerstone of modern life and economic development. From powering hospitals and schools to enabling digital economies and manufacturing, electricity underpins progress. Yet in sub-Saharan Africa, the lights have remained dim for far too long. Nearly 600 million people in this region lack access to electricity, accounting for approximately 83 per cent of the global population without power.
The vast majority of those without electricity reside in rural and peri-urban areas, forced to rely on expensive, polluting generators or traditional biomass for cooking and lighting. Estimates from international development institutions show that more than half of the people without access to electricity globally live in sub-Saharan Africa, and persistent demographic growth threatens to keep these numbers high unless decisive action is taken.
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It is in this context that Mission 300 has emerged: an ambitious, collaborative initiative to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Launched formally in April 2024 by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group, Mission 300 represents a concerted effort by African governments, multilateral development banks, private sector partners, philanthropies and international institutions to address the continent’s energy deficit.
The initiative aims to provide electricity to 300 million people across sub-Saharan Africa by the end of the decade, combining traditional grid expansion with innovative off-grid solutions such as solar mini-grids and stand-alone systems to reach remote and underserved communities. The approach reflects a growing recognition that electrification must be both scalable and inclusive, extending beyond national grids to ensure that rural and urban households alike can access modern energy services.
In January 2025, the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, marked a defining moment in operationalising this vision. Heads of state from across the continent endorsed the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, a political commitment to undertake reforms and accelerate the implementation of national energy strategies aligned with Mission 300.
At the summit, development partners pledged more than $50 billion in financial support to expand energy access across Africa, signalling an unprecedented level of global backing for the continent’s electrification agenda.
Mission 300’s financial architecture is anchored in blended financing, designed to mobilise public, private and philanthropic capital at scale. The World Bank Group is expected to contribute the largest share, with financing structures aimed at unlocking up to 250 million new electricity connections, while the African Development Bank has committed to supporting an additional 50 million connections by 2030.
Beyond these core institutions, a broad coalition of partners, including the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, the Rockefeller Foundation and Sustainable Energy for All, has committed capital, technical expertise and implementation support to accelerate project delivery across the continent.
Additional multilateral financing is also flowing from other international development lenders, which together have pledged more than $6 billion to support Africa’s electrification push within the broader Mission 300 framework.
How Far Has Mission 300 Progressed?
While Mission 300’s ultimate goal of electrifying 300 million people by 2030 remains several years away, early progress is already visible. By late 2025, approximately 32 million people had gained access to electricity through Mission 300-linked interventions and aligned energy programmes. With plans and projects in motion to reach another 157 million, aiming for a total of 250 million connections by 2030, alongside the African Development Bank’s goal of 50 million.
A growing number of African countries have also developed national energy compacts, detailed policy and investment frameworks designed to accelerate electricity access in line with Mission 300’s targets. Countries including Burundi, Ghana, Mozambique, Togo and Zimbabwe have presented their compacts, signalling a widening base of political and technical commitment.
Yet the scale of the challenge remains immense. Even with current momentum, hundreds of millions of people across the continent still lack reliable electricity, and Africa’s rapid population growth risks offsetting gains if electrification efforts do not accelerate further.
Policy and Institutional Hurdles
One of the most formidable obstacles confronting Mission 300 lies in the policy and institutional environment governing Africa’s energy sectors. Many countries continue to grapple with outdated regulatory frameworks, weak utility finances, currency volatility and limited domestic revenue mobilisation, all of which complicate long-term infrastructure investment.
Reform commitments made under the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration focus on revising tariff structures, strengthening regulatory independence and improving transparency in energy markets. However, translating these pledges into durable national reforms requires sustained political resolve and administrative capacity.
Financing also remains a critical constraint. While headline pledges run into the tens of billions of dollars, converting commitments into disbursed capital, particularly for rural and off-grid projects, demands risk-mitigation mechanisms that can reassure private investors without overburdening public finances.
Technological Innovation and Energy Transition Dynamics
Mission 300 is unfolding against the backdrop of a global energy transition, with growing emphasis on renewable energy and decentralised power systems. Africa possesses vast untapped solar, wind and hydro resources, offering an opportunity to expand electricity access while limiting carbon emissions.
Off-grid and mini-grid technologies, often powered by renewable sources, are increasingly viewed as cost-effective solutions for remote communities where extending national grids is neither economically nor technically viable. These systems also enhance energy resilience and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
At the same time, debates persist over how best to balance household electrification with the need to power industry, agriculture and digital infrastructure. The long-term success of Mission 300 will depend not only on connecting homes, but on ensuring that electricity access translates into productive economic activity and job creation.
Toward a Brighter Horizon
As Mission 300 advances toward its 2030 deadline, it stands as one of the most ambitious electrification efforts ever undertaken on a continental scale. Its success is closely tied to Africa’s broader development ambitions, including industrialisation, youth employment and climate resilience.
Yet ambition alone will not be enough. Delivering electricity to 300 million people will require sustained reform, effective governance, deeper private sector participation and robust accountability mechanisms to track progress and outcomes.
In bridging Africa’s electricity divide, Mission 300 holds the potential to alter the continent’s development trajectory decisively. Whether that promise is fully realised will depend on the ability of African governments and their global partners to turn pledges into power, and connections into lasting economic transformation.
