In a significant announcement ahead of Climate Week NYC, a coalition of global organizations, including the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and The Rockefeller Foundation, have pledged their support for an ambitious initiative to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
This project, called “Mission 300” (M300), was initially launched in April 2024 by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB). It aims to establish a new technical assistance facility, form an M300 Leadership Group with the AfDB and World Bank, and secure private-sector funding to advance electrification across Africa.
The partners plan to combine their resources, knowledge, and advocacy to accelerate the World Bank’s and AfDB’s efforts in transforming energy access for nearly half of Africa’s population, currently living without electricity. AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina praised the collaboration as a “game changer” for Africa’s growth, emphasizing that no economy can prosper or industrialize without electricity. Similarly, World Bank President Ajay Banga called for a united effort, involving governments, multilateral banks, and private investment, to accelerate Africa’s electrification.
GEAPP and The Rockefeller Foundation have committed an initial $10 million to set up a flexible technical assistance facility, which will help speed up electricity access projects across 11 African countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia. This initiative will also extend support to projects within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Africa’s largest economic organization.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s President, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, highlighted the initiative as one of the most crucial global development efforts in recent times. GEAPP CEO Woochong Um added that Mission 300 exemplifies the need for extensive collaboration and innovation to drive a sustainable energy future for Africa.
A joint governance body was created to ensure accountability and monitor progress, co-chaired by SEforALL’s CEO, Damilola Ogunbiyi. Ogunbiyi stressed that universal energy access is a matter of equality and opportunity, urging stakeholders to support the initiative’s success.
In addition to the technical assistance facility, partners are developing other initiatives to advance M300, focusing on local currency financing, support for developers, and global advocacy. The consortium is targeting $90 billion in investment, seeking contributions from multilateral banks, private sectors, and philanthropic funds. Robust replenishment of key funding sources like the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and the African Development Fund (ADF) is crucial to the mission’s success.
Andrew Herscowitz, the former head of Power Africa, has been appointed CEO of the M300 Accelerator to oversee the initiative. The electrification of 300 million people in Africa is expected to drive economic growth, create jobs, and reduce poverty across the continent.
