When the World Bank and the African Development Bank launched Mission 300 in 2024, the goal of connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030 looked ambitious. Two years on, the initiative is moving faster than many expected. The harder question is what happens after the connection.
The progress
In June 2026 the two banks said Mission 300 had connected more than 50 million people across 40 countries and was delivering access at nearly double the pace recorded at its launch. By October, the number had reached 64 million, according to an update reported by the Ghana News Agency. Nigeria, Tanzania and Ethiopia have been among the leading beneficiaries.
The banks have committed nearly $15 billion to Mission 300 projects and mobilised about $4.5 billion in co-financing, while other development partners have pledged more than $7 billion. At the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in January 2025, the two institutions jointly committed $40 billion to the effort, and countries signed national energy compacts setting out reforms and targets. Both banks now publish online trackers of progress.
The scale of what remains
The gap is still enormous. The international agencies behind the Tracking SDG7 report estimated that 565 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacked electricity in 2023, about 85% of everyone without access worldwide. Population growth means each year’s gains must also keep pace with new households.
After the connection
A connection is the start of a service, not the end of a project. Three issues will decide whether Mission 300’s numbers translate into lasting change:
- Affordability. Many newly connected households use very little electricity because tariffs and appliances are expensive. If consumption stays low, utilities and mini-grid operators struggle to recover costs.
- Reliability. Frequent outages push businesses back to diesel generators and erode trust. Grid maintenance, utility finances and investment in transmission matter as much as new lines.
- Productive use. Electricity changes livelihoods when it powers irrigation pumps, mills, cold storage, workshops and clinics. Pairing connections with finance for equipment raises incomes and electricity demand together.
This year’s oil price shock has strengthened the case for distributed solar and mini-grids, which shield users from fuel costs. It has also shown how quickly energy bills can rise for households that are already stretched.
Mission 300 has built momentum. Its next reports should say not only how many people are connected, but how many are still using power, how reliable it is, and what it is being used for.
Sources: Ecofin Agency: World Bank and AfDB reach 50 million connections · Ghana News Agency: 64 million Africans connected · Nairametrics: Mission 300 connects over 50 million
