Thirty African Heads of State and governments have pledged to implement reforms aimed at expanding access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity across the continent. This commitment was made during the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam. The summit resulted in the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, a significant step towards addressing Africa's energy gap, where over 600 million people currently lack electricity.
The Declaration is part of the Mission 300 initiative, which aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. At the summit, partners committed more than $50 billion to enhance energy access throughout Africa. The Declaration will be presented at the African Union Summit in February for adoption.
Mission 300 focuses on increasing energy access as a foundation for economic growth and job creation for Africa's youth population. Twelve countries—Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia—have developed National Energy Compacts with specific targets for scaling up electricity access and renewable energy use.
“Tanzania is honored to have hosted such a monumental summit to discuss how we will deliver on our promise to provide power and clean cooking solutions that will transform lives and economies,” stated H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania.
The implementation of these compacts requires political commitment and support from Mission 300 partners. Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group said: “Access to electricity is a fundamental human right... Governments, businesses, philanthropies, and development banks each have a role—and only through collaboration can we achieve our goal.”
Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina from the African Development Bank Group highlighted the need for reforms to increase renewable energy share and improve utility performance: “Our collective effort is to support you... in developing clear national energy compacts.”
Significant financial commitments were announced at the summit:
- The African Development Bank Group and World Bank Group plan $48 billion in financing through 2030.
- Agence Française de Dévelopment (AFD) committed €1 billion.
- Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) plans $1 billion to $1.5 billion.
- Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group pledged $2.65 billion from 2025-2030.
- OPEC Fund promised $1 billion.
Additionally, Zafiri was launched by the World Bank Group and African Development Bank Group as an investment company supporting private sector-led solutions like renewable mini-grids.
The commitments made at the summit highlight Mission 300's potential through government reforms and public-private partnerships to bring tangible benefits across Africa.
The event was hosted by Tanzania along with several organizations including the African Union and World Bank Group.