Dar es Salaam. Joint efforts among stakeholders and sufficient regulatory transparency are crucial to achieving universal electricity access in Africa, the World Bank Group President, Ajay Banga, has said.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the opening of Mission 300 Energy Summit-Africa in Dar es Salaam on Monday 27, Mr Banga outlined critical steps needed to accelerate electrification across the continent.
These steps are contained in the Mission 300, which seeks to ensure that 300 million Africans have access to electricity by 2030.
“The first priority is policy predictability—predictability on tariffs, land acquisition, and all the elements necessary for energy investments,” he said.
Mr Banga emphasised the need for clear and transparent regulatory policies to instil confidence in development partners, including multilateral institutions like the World Bank.
These policies, he noted, are essential for ensuring that investments in the energy sector yield predictable and measurable outcomes.
The second component of the Mission 300 is collective infrastructure development to achieve universal electricity access.
The third aspect focuses on financing and the expansion of shared regional electric grids, where Tanzania has excelled.
Mr Banga highlighted Tanzania’s interconnected grid with neighbouring countries as a model that should be replicated across the continent.
African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, underscored the magnitude of Africa’s energy crisis, noting that the continent loses 3–4 per cent of its GDP annually due to inadequate electricity supply.
Additionally, 571 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, a situation he described as a major impediment to economic growth and development.
“This is not a time for Mickey Mouse solutions. We must be serious and take bold action,” Dr Adesina said.
He called for a united effort from heads of state, the private sector, civil society, and development partners to ensure that universal electricity access becomes a reality.
Dr Adesina further explained that Mission 300 will be country-led, with individual African nations taking charge of their respective efforts.
Countries will be required to allocate budgets for infrastructure development, distribution, and last-mile connectivity to ensure their citizens have reliable electricity.
“They need to implement reforms to reduce technical and financial losses in electricity supply, establish independent and competitive utilities, and ensure low-cost electricity generation and distribution systems. Regional power pools must also be prioritised to enable efficiency and affordability,” Dr Adesina added.
The Mission 300 compact represents an unprecedented collaboration between the African Development Bank, the World Bank Group, and global partners.
The initiative seeks to connect 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030 through innovative financing, advanced technologies, and coordinated efforts.
Efforts under the compact are centred on investing in energy generation, transmission, distribution, regional interconnection, and sector reforms to ensure that electricity is reliable, affordable, and sustainable.
The initiative also aims to support the transition to cleaner energy sources, which will meet growing demand, foster economic growth, and create jobs.
