Africa targets electricity access for 300m people by 2030

How plausible is the target by African heads of state to grant access to electricity to 300 million people by 2030?

That is the task before the over 1,000 participants expected at the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, which kicks off in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Jan. 27.

“It’s a tight journey because 2030 is only five years away and we have to deliver, not expected connections, but actual connections to 300 million by 2030,” says Mr Daniel Schroth, African Development Bank (ADB’s) Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

Schroth emphasised the urgency of implementation of Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit at a media briefing in Dar es Salaam.

Mr Franz Drees-Gross, World Bank Director of Infrastructure for West Africa, said Mission 300 represented not just an ambitious target but a movement.

“We are creating a lasting impact that will power Africa’s growth and enable millions of people to access the essential services electricity provides,” said Drees-Gross.

The World Bank Group and the ADB launched the initiative in April 2024 to bridge the energy access gap in Africa.

Mr Wale Shonibare, ADB’s Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, said the summit would unveil new initiatives aimed at boosting domestic resource mobilisation.

Shonibare said it would also encourage cross-border trade to spread risk and increase financing for energy access.

Already, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and The Rockefeller Foundation have committed $10 million to create a technical assistance facility supporting electricity projects across 11 African nations.

“What makes this initiative different from what institutions have done in the past is the ‘all hands-on deck approach’ with a lot of institutions working hand-in-hand to deliver the ambitious agenda,” explained Sarvesh Suri, IFC’s Director for Infrastructure in Africa.

About 12 countries, including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire, will pledge reforms in five key areas; low-cost power generation, regional energy integration, increased energy access, enabling private investment and utility strengthening.

The two-day summit is being hosted by the government of Tanzania, the African Union, the African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group.

On the first day, at the ministerial level, participating countries, including Nigeria, will present their national energy strategies, termed compacts, detailing their approaches to achieving universal energy access within five years.

On the second day, Heads of State will endorse the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, outlining a unified roadmap for Africa’s progress towards the Mission 300 objectives.

President Tinubu will deliver a national statement reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to achieving universal access to energy and its leadership role in Africa’s energy sector.

Hr will also highlight Nigeria’s ongoing clean energy initiatives and its strategy to drive integrated energy delivery on the continent.

Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Power, Mr Olu Verheijen, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, and other senior government officials will accompany President Tinubu on the trip.