Publication date: 9 May 2025
Authors: Power Shift Africa
Description: Announced in early 2024, Mission 300 is an ambitious initiative led by the World Bank Group (WBG) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030. Aiming to mobilise $90 billion in public and private capital, the plan involves scaling up clean energy generation, expanding grid connections, deploying decentralised mini-grids, and improving transmission and distribution through regional interconnection and market reform.
If delivered equitably and effectively, Mission 300 could represent a step-change for energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. However, if it adheres to the prevailing model of climate and development finance - marked by over-reliance on private capital, a preference for privatised energy systems dominated by fossil fuels, and limited engagement with local communities - it risks failing the very people it intends to serve and exacerbating Africa’s soaring debt crisis.
