The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a 3.9 million dollar, two year technical assistance programme to help 13 African countries translate national energy commitments into actual electricity connections for homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.
The initiative, called AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, aims to accelerate implementation of National Energy Compacts under Mission 300, a joint effort by the AfDB and World Bank to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. The bank’s Board of Directors approved the project on January 30, 2026, shifting focus from planning to practical delivery.
Energy Compacts are government led plans outlining how countries will expand electricity access, strengthen power utilities and attract private investment. Over the past year, dozens of African governments launched these compacts backed by strong political commitments and development partner support.
However, translating plans into real electricity connections remains the biggest challenge, according to the AfDB. The bank noted that many countries have rolled out compacts with high level political backing, but moving from policy pledges to actual delivery requires sustained technical support.
The 13 beneficiary countries are Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia and Uganda. These nations will receive hands on assistance over the next 24 months to overcome bottlenecks that typically delay electrification efforts.
The programme will help governments improve electricity regulations, planning frameworks and tariff structures to unlock investment. It will also strengthen national utilities to reduce system losses and improve reliability. Additionally, the project supports better data collection, research and peer learning through tools like the Electricity Regulatory Index and regional energy forums.
Expert advisers will be embedded within national Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units (CDMUs) to help governments coordinate reforms across ministries and track progress more effectively. These units sit inside governments and are responsible for managing energy reforms and monitoring implementation.
Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the AfDB, said the initiative represents a decisive shift toward implementation. “Countries have made bold commitments through their energy compacts. Now, through AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, we are helping them implement those commitments so that more households, entrepreneurs, and communities actually get electricity,” he stated.
The approval follows AESTAP Mission 300 Phase I, which the bank endorsed in December 2025. Phase I provided approximately 1 million dollars to help countries establish and operationalize their CDMUs. That initial phase focused on staffing, training, setting up monitoring tools and helping countries plan their next steps.
Phase II builds on this foundation by delivering the technical assistance required to implement planned reforms. The project will be executed in coordination with Mission 300 partners, including the World Bank, national governments and development organizations, to ensure alignment and avoid duplication.
According to AfDB documentation, nearly 600 million people in Africa lack access to electricity, representing 43 percent of the continent’s population. More than one billion people also lack access to clean cooking solutions. The continent holds 20 percent of the world’s population but uses only 3 percent of its electricity.
Electricity demand is expected to grow by 75 percent, from 680 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2020 to 1,180 TWh by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Without targeted intervention, the number of people without electricity may rise to 900 million by 2050.
Africa possesses significant renewable energy potential, including solar, hydro, wind and geothermal resources. However, structural barriers persist, including weak utility governance, tariffs that do not reflect costs, fragmented planning frameworks and insufficient regulatory capacity.
Mission 300 represents one of the most ambitious power access efforts on the continent. The initiative seeks to address electricity access as a foundation for economic growth, job creation, service delivery and climate resilience. The programme aims to create conditions for massive scaling of investment in electricity infrastructure across participating countries.
In January 2025, 48 African countries endorsed the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, establishing continent wide political commitment and aligning Mission 300 with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 development framework. The declaration demonstrated high level political will to accelerate electrification across the region.
Malawi and Nigeria have already established fully operational CDMUs, while other Cohort 1 countries are at advanced stages of staffing or obtaining legal approval for their units. These countries include Senegal, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Niger and Liberia, in addition to those receiving Phase II support.
Each CDMU is typically hosted in a Presidential, Prime Ministerial or Ministerial office, giving it authority to coordinate cross sector reforms. Responsibilities include developing project and financing pipelines, identifying bottlenecks, integrating clean cooking and gender priorities, and tracking progress through the Mission 300 Compact Monitoring Tool.
The Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Program (AESTAP) provides the technical assistance, coordination tools and reform expertise helping governments move from commitments to delivery. The programme offers what officials describe as the connective tissue of Mission 300, ensuring countries have both technical and institutional capacity to deliver on electrification goals.
For governments, utilities, regulators, investors and development partners, AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II offers a platform to accelerate reforms and attract private capital. The bank expects the programme to help crowd in private sector investment by improving the regulatory environment and utility performance.
Phase II will focus on practical, targeted support tailored to each country’s specific context and challenges. The embedded advisers will work directly with government teams to address implementation barriers, coordinate stakeholder engagement and ensure reforms advance according to timelines outlined in the Energy Compacts.
The programme also emphasizes learning and knowledge exchange between countries. Regional energy forums and the Electricity Regulatory Index will enable participating nations to share experiences, compare approaches and adopt best practices from peer countries facing similar challenges.
With electricity access central to sustainable development, the AfDB’s latest approval signals growing emphasis on delivery discipline. The bank aims to ensure political commitments translate into measurable results that improve lives across the continent.
The initiative comes as African countries seek to close persistent infrastructure gaps that constrain economic development. Reliable electricity access is widely recognized as essential for industrialization, digital transformation, healthcare delivery, education quality and poverty reduction.
Mission 300 partners have pledged financial and technical resources to support participating countries. The World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) are among key supporters of the initiative.
The programme’s success will depend on sustained political commitment, effective coordination between government agencies, regulatory reforms that attract investment, and utility improvements that enhance service delivery. The AfDB expects the technical assistance to strengthen all these elements across beneficiary countries.
For millions of African households currently without electricity, the programme represents hope for improved living conditions. Access to reliable power enables income generating activities, extends productive hours, supports education through better lighting, and improves health outcomes by powering medical facilities and enabling food refrigeration.
The bank will monitor implementation progress through regular reporting mechanisms and performance indicators tied to each country’s Energy Compact. This monitoring framework aims to ensure accountability and enable course corrections when challenges emerge during the implementation phase.
