Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit: Africa Aims to Connect 300 Million People to Electricity by 2030
At the Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, leaders from across Africa and international partners launched Mission 300, an ambitious initiative to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Organized by the Tanzanian government, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, and global stakeholders, the summit emphasized the urgent need to close Africa’s electricity access gap, with nearly 600 million people currently without power.
AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina set the tone for the summit, calling for a collaborative effort involving the private sector, bilateral and multilateral institutions, and civil society. He stressed that this effort must be action-driven, focusing on implementation through practical solutions such as regulatory reforms and private sector engagement.
“This is mission critical,” Adesina remarked. “We need everybody involved to ensure Africa doesn’t lack the energy it needs to thrive.”
The summit’s goals extend beyond electricity access, also addressing the health crisis caused by traditional cooking methods. Adesina highlighted that 600,000 deaths annually, mostly women and children, result from smoke exposure due to firewood and charcoal use. This initiative seeks to provide clean cooking solutions to improve health outcomes and prevent environmental damage.
World Bank President Ajay Banga expressed confidence that the objectives of Mission 300 are attainable through hard work and private sector involvement, emphasizing the need for conducive regulatory environments and predictable financial frameworks. He outlined how such changes would drive investments in the energy sector.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted the importance of energy access as a driver of economic transformation, particularly for women and youth. She stressed that providing electricity would not only power homes but also enable food systems, digital financial services, online education, and e-commerce.
The summit also saw pledges from major philanthropists, including The Rockefeller Foundation, which committed $65 million to the initiative. The expected outcomes from the summit include the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration and the National Energy Compacts, which will set specific targets and timelines for African governments to implement necessary energy reforms.
As the summit concluded, the commitment to energy access and the potential for transformative change in Africa was clear—Mission 300 is set to power the continent’s future, driving economic development, job creation, and environmental sustainability.
