Leaders commit to energy transformation with over $50bn backing from global partners

Addis Ababa, January 29, 2025 (FMC) – Thirty African Heads of State and government on Tuesday committed to concrete reforms and actions to expand access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to power economic growth, improve quality of life, and drive job creation across the continent. The leaders pledged their commitment in a declaration during the two-day Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. Mission 300 partners pledged more than $50 billion in support of increasing energy access across Africa.

The Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration represents a key milestone in addressing the energy gap in Africa, where more than 600 million people currently live without electricity. The commitments in the Declaration are a critical piece of the Mission 300 initiative, which unites governments, development banks, partners, philanthropies, and the private sector to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. The Declaration will now be submitted to the African Union Summit in February for adoption.

By addressing the fundamental challenge of energy access, Mission 300 serves as the cornerstone of the jobs agenda for Africa’s growing youth population and the foundation for future development.

Twelve countries—Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia—presented detailed National Energy Compacts that set targets to scale up electricity access, increase the use of renewable energy and attract additional private capital.  These country-specific plans are time-bound, rooted in data, endorsed at the highest level and focus on affordable power generation, expanding connections, and regional integration. They aim to boost utility efficiency, attract private investment, and expand clean cooking solutions. Deploying satellite and electronic mapping technologies, these compacts identify the most cost-effective solutions to bring electricity to underserved areas.

Implementing the National Energy Compacts will require political will, long-term vision and the full support from Mission 300 partners. Governments are paving the way through comprehensive reforms, complemented by increased concessional financing and strategic partnerships with philanthropies and development banks to catalyze increased private sector investment.

During the summit, partners announced a series of commitments, including €1 billion from France through Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), $1 billion to $1.5 billion from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to support Mission 300, $2.65 billion from Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, and an initial commitment of $1 billion from OPEC Fund.

It was also indicated that African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group plan to allocate $48 billion in financing for Mission 300 through 2030, which may evolve to fit implementation needs

The firm commitments made by governments and partners at the summit demonstrate the unique power of the Mission 300 partnership, according to AfDB. By combining government reforms, increased financing, and leveraging public-private partnerships, African countries are positioned to turn plans into action, delivering tangible benefits to millions of people.