Energy for All: Mozambique Accelerates Towards Universal Electricity Access
Mozambique has emerged as one of Africa’s fastest-electrifying nations, nearly doubling its rate of electricity access from 31 percent in 2018 to 60 percent by the end of 2024. This transformation has delivered power to around 9.5 million Mozambicans, with the World Bank-supported ProEnergia project playing a central role in the country’s National Energy for All Programme (Programa Nacional de Energia para Todos).
Between 2020 and 2024, ProEnergia connected more than 514,000 households to electricity, benefiting 2.6 million people. In addition, 400 schools, health centres and 10 resettlement areas were electrified, while 1,860 businesses gained access to affordable, reliable grid power. More than 50,000 vulnerable families received ready boards to enable safe household connections, and approximately 1,800 jobs were created during the rollout.
The project has transformed communities. Schools such as Muhalaze Secondary in Matola can now hold evening classes, enabling young workers like 22-year-old construction worker Juvelino Alberto to pursue education at night. At Marracuene’s Eduardo Mondlane Health Centre, reliable electricity has made maternal care safer, reducing risks for mothers and newborns.
Mozambique’s progress marks a significant step towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 – ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Until recently, two-thirds of the population lacked power, with rural communities most affected. Barriers included high connection costs, weak infrastructure, and affordability challenges.
To overcome these hurdles, the government introduced a zero-connection fee policy, provided subsidised ready boards for poorer households, and expanded grid distribution by over 1,000 km. ProEnergia also supported the creation of an Off-Grid Electrification Roadmap and the design of results-based financing mechanisms to attract private investment in renewable energy.
Co-financed by the governments of Sweden, Norway and the European Union through a World Bank-managed Multi-Donor Trust Fund, the project exceeded its targets and set a benchmark for future electrification initiatives. Building on this momentum, the ProEnergia Plus and ASCENT projects, together valued at more than $470 million, are expanding access further, reinforcing Mozambique’s ambition to achieve universal electricity by 2030.
As part of the World Bank Group’s Mission 300, which aims to connect 300 million Africans to power by 2030, Mozambique’s experience is now seen as a model of rapid, inclusive and sustainable electrification.
