Mission 300: The bold plan to bring power to half of Africa by 2030

This number exceeds the combined populations of the United States, Canada, and Brazil. In response to this widespread energy gap, major institutions have announced new initiatives aimed at expanding access to reliable and sustainable power across the continent.

A joint programme known as Mission 300 has been launched by the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group. The initiative aims to provide electricity to 300 million people in Africa by the year 2030.

The plan includes connecting half of the unserved communities to the power grid within five years. Achieving this objective requires a large-scale investment in electricity generation and distribution infrastructure. The estimated requirement to reach universal energy access in Africa by 2030 is close to $25 billion annually.

One of the primary challenges is finding financing models that do not place an unsustainable debt burden on countries or expose communities to high energy costs from private firms.

Addressing the lack of electricity goes beyond simply powering homes. It also includes reducing dependency on traditional cooking fuels such as wood fires, which are a major contributor to climate change and public health issues in the region.

To further support this agenda, the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) introduced the Mission 300 Local Currency Guarantee Facility earlier this year. This programme is designed to mobilise $5 billion to support energy access projects across the continent.