The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a 3.9 million dollar technical assistance program designed to help 13 African countries implement national energy commitments and expand electricity access to millions of households and businesses. The two year initiative, known as the Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Program (AESTAP) Mission 300 Phase II, was approved on 30 January 2026.
The program will provide direct technical support to Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia and Uganda under Mission 300, a joint AfDB and World Bank initiative seeking to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. Mission 300 represents one of the continent’s most ambitious efforts to address Africa’s electricity access deficit, where nearly 600 million people, representing 43 percent of the population, currently lack access to electricity.
The initiative is built on National Energy Compacts, which 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 have launched such compacts, supported by strong political commitments and pledges from development partners. In January 2025, 48 African countries endorsed the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration at the Africa Energy Summit held in Tanzania, establishing continent wide political commitment and aligning Mission 300 with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II is designed to move countries from planning to implementation, focusing on improving electricity regulations, tariffs and sector planning to unlock investments. The project will strengthen power utilities to reduce losses and improve reliability, while supporting better data use and peer learning through regional energy platforms. Expert advisers will be embedded within national Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units (CDMUs) to help governments coordinate reforms across ministries and track progress.
Wale Shonibare, AfDB Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, stated that countries have made bold commitments through their energy compacts and that through AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, the Bank is helping them implement those commitments so that more households, entrepreneurs and communities actually receive electricity. He emphasized the focus on translating documented plans into actual electricity connections for homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.
The newly approved program builds on AESTAP Mission 300 Phase I, which was approved in December 2025 and provided approximately one million dollars to support the establishment and operation of CDMUs within participating governments. Phase I focused on setting up delivery teams, training staff and establishing monitoring tools. Phase II will concentrate on implementing energy sector reforms on the ground, providing the technical expertise needed to execute reforms at scale.
The project will improve electricity sector regulations, planning and tariffs to enable investment projects to move forward. It will strengthen national utilities to improve reliability and reduce losses, and enhance data, research and learning across countries through tools such as the Electricity Regulatory Index and regional energy forums. The initiative will be carried out in close coordination with the World Bank, national governments and other development partners to ensure alignment and avoid duplication.
Africa currently holds 20 percent of the world’s population but uses only 3 percent of its electricity. Electricity demand on the continent 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). Over the past decade, Africa has attracted only 3 percent of global energy investment, far below what is required to close the access gap and modernize its power systems.
Under Mission 300, the World Bank Group aims to connect 250 million people to electricity while the AfDB targets another 50 million by 2030. The initiative is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). At the Africa Energy Summit in January 2025, Mission 300 partners pledged more than 50 billion dollars in support of increasing energy access across Africa.
The African Development Bank Group has stated that the initiative underscores its broader effort to accelerate electricity access across the continent as a foundation for economic growth, job creation and improved social services. The Bank noted that access to reliable, affordable and sustainable energy is critical for powering economies, delivering essential services, energizing homes and spurring job creation across Africa’s growing population.
