Recently, the mission to light up the lives of hundreds of millions of people without electricity on the continent was "fuelled" with a series of strong commitments at the Africa Energy Summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
With abundant natural resources, Africa has many opportunities to take advantage of energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. Many types of minerals on the continent play an important role in the world's energy transition.
However, in the context of global investment in energy transition reaching record levels, Africa is still left behind. The black continent is home to the highest number of people without access to electricity in the world, at about 600 million people, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.
This alarming figure not only reflects the lack of electricity infrastructure but also the limitations in education, health, economy, etc., of countries in the region.
Many countries and development partners have launched initiatives to increase access to electricity in Africa, but much of the progress has been reversed due to population growth outpacing the pace of electrification, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and supply chains.
Faced with the above alarming situation, the World Bank (WB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) launched an initiative called Mission 300 in April 2024 with the goal of providing electricity to about 300 million people on the continent by 2030.
As an important step in implementing Mission 300, the Africa Energy Summit attracted more than 1,000 participants, including African leaders and representatives of development partners and the private sector.
The highlight of the conference was the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, which includes commitments from African governments to reform the energy sector. The conference also announced a National Energy Pact with specific targets and implementation timelines set by each country. Many African countries are planning to implement reforms to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity, thereby boosting economic growth, improving lives, and creating jobs for their people.
These bold goals require not only green light from governments but also support from Mission 300 partners. A series of commitments worth more than 50 billion USD were announced by partners at the recent conference in Tanzania, adding to the momentum for increasing access to electricity in Africa. The World Bank and AfDB have announced a plan to allocate $48 billion to finance Mission 300.
The World Bank and AfDB also launched Zafiri — an investment company that supports private sector-led solutions, including rooftop solar systems. Other partners, such as the French Development Agency (AFD), the International Development Fund of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), have also made commitments to providing support over the next 5 years.
As AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina commented, with resources from partners, Africa will not only meet the set goals but could also go beyond to become a prosperous and competitive continent.
According to Akinwumi Adesina, along with drastic actions to accelerate the electrification process across the continent, reforms to expand the market share of renewable energy, ensure transparency in power purchase agreements also play an important role. Unfriendly regulations, cumbersome administrative procedures, and currency risks are considered obstacles to investment in Africa's power sector.
At the Africa Energy Summit, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed expressed her hope that Mission 300 will contribute to sustainable development across the continent. The deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is approaching. Amina Mohammed called for joint efforts to light up the lives of people on the continent, ensuring that no one is left behind in the race for energy transition and prosperity.
