KEY POINTS
- AfDB has approved a $3.9 million, two-year project to help Nigeria and 12 other African countries implement Energy Compacts under Mission 300.
- The project will provide technical assistance to turn energy policies into actual electricity connections for households, businesses, and public institutions.
- It builds on earlier AfDB support and complements broader financing aimed at strengthening Africa’s power sector and expanding access to electricity.
The African Development Bank, AfDB, has approved a $3.9 million, two-year project to support Nigeria and 12 other African countries in implementing their National Energy Compacts under the Mission 300 initiative, aimed at expanding electricity access across the continent by 2030.
The approval, granted by the AfDB Board of Directors and announced on the bank’s website on Friday, is designed to help countries translate energy sector plans into actual electricity connections for households, businesses, and public institutions.
The initiative comes at a time when African governments are intensifying efforts to address the continent’s persistent electricity access gap, which continues to hinder economic growth and social development.
Turning policy commitments into electricity connections
According to the AfDB, the project will move participating countries from policy commitments to practical delivery of electricity.
Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the AfDB, said African countries have made “bold commitments” through their Energy Compacts, and the new phase of support will help convert those pledges into tangible outcomes.
He explained that the focus is on ensuring households, entrepreneurs, and communities gain real access to power, adding that the project will provide hands-on technical assistance to help governments implement reforms and accelerate new connections.
About Mission 300 and the Energy Compacts
Mission 300 was launched in January 2025 by the World Bank and the AfDB to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Under the initiative, African countries were encouraged to develop National Energy Compacts outlining how they plan to expand access, strengthen power sector institutions, and attract private investment.
While dozens of countries have since launched Energy Compacts backed by political and development partner support, translating these plans into actual electricity connections has remained a major challenge, prompting the need for targeted technical assistance.
Countries to benefit from the project
The newly approved project, known as AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, will provide direct technical support to 13 countries: Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, and Uganda.
The project will help improve electricity regulations, planning frameworks, and tariff structures, while strengthening power utilities to reduce technical and commercial losses and deliver more reliable electricity.
It will also support better data, research, and cross-country learning through tools such as the Electricity Regulatory Index and regional energy forums. In addition, expert advisers will be embedded in national Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units to help coordinate reforms and track progress.
