Mission 300 has connected 50 million Africans to electricity
The World Bank and AfDB drive is a sixth of the way to its 2030 goal, and speeding up.
Key points
- Mission 300, run by the World Bank and African Development Bank, has connected more than 50 million people across 40 African countries, it announced on 16 June 2026.
- Tanzania has connected 7.5 million people, Ethiopia 4.6 million and Nigeria 4.5 million through private-sector initiatives.
- Thirty national energy compacts have been launched; the goal is to connect 300 million people by 2030.
More than 50 million people in Africa have been connected to electricity under Mission 300, the World Bank and African Development Bank's drive to bring power to 300 million people by 2030. The banks announced the milestone on 16 June 2026.
The connections span 40 countries. Mission 300 reports that the total rose from 32 million in September 2025, and electricity access is now being delivered at nearly double the pace recorded at the start of the initiative.
Where the lights are coming on
The World Bank highlighted three countries:
- Tanzania: 7.5 million people connected, with the annual pace of connections up fivefold.
- Ethiopia: 4.6 million people connected.
- Nigeria: 4.5 million people connected through private-sector initiatives.
How it works
Governments sign national energy compacts setting out how they will expand access, whether through the grid, mini-grids or off-grid solar. Thirty compacts have been launched, and six more are expected from Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Gabon, Rwanda and Uganda.
The World Bank and African Development Bank have committed about $15 billion, attracting around $4.5 billion in co-financing and more than $7 billion from other development partners. The African Development Bank also launched a public Mission 300 progress tracker at its 2026 annual meetings in Brazzaville.
What they said
"Electricity enables jobs, business, healthcare, education, and opportunity," said World Bank President Ajay Banga. African Development Bank President Sidi Ould Tah said Mission 300 must become a launchpad for faster electrification. Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv J. Shah said every new connection meant a family gaining access to jobs, education and dignity.
The road ahead
Fifty million is a sixth of the way to the 2030 goal, and the Rio Times puts the number of Africans still without power at around 600 million. But the pace is accelerating. For countries like Kenya, which is expanding its generation, access and supply have to grow together.
Sources
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