The heads of 30 African nations have endorsed a plan to provide “reliable, affordable and sustainable” electricity to 300 million people across the continent over the next five years.
The leaders signed the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration at the “Mission 300” energy summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, this week. The mission was launched in April 2024 by the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and its partners.
Vincent Nmehielle, secretary-general of the AfDB, told the summit that the declaration outlines commitments to reform the energy sector through practical actions like expanding power infrastructure, incorporating more renewable energy, and incentivizing private sector participation. The electrification boost is also expected to create new jobs. The declaration will be submitted for formal adoption at the African Union Summit in February, the World Bank said in a statement.
Twelve countries — Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia — also presented their country-specific “national energy compacts,” expected to be in place by the end of 2025. These compacts include specific goals and timelines to expand electricity access, address utility efficiency, increase renewable energy generation, attract private investment, and provide clean cooking solutions.
Tanzania’s compact, for example, aims to provide electricity to an additional 8.3 million households by 2030, focusing on rural and underserved areas. It also aims to expand the share of renewables in its energy mix from the current 61.8% to 75% by 2030. This will be driven by investments in solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower.
Meanwhile, Zambia aims to achieve 100% access to electricity by 2030, and set a goal of increasing the share of non-hydro renewable energy like solar and wind in the energy mix from 3% to 33% by 2030.
Some officials also highlighted their nations’ need to back their trade and mining industries.
Zambian Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said his country needs to urgently increase power generation to expand its mining sector. “We are on a trajectory to triple copper production in the next 10 years,” he said at the summit. “That requires electricity. We must minimize dependence on hydroelectric power and diversify our energy sources.”
To support Mission 300, the World Bank has committed to providing $30 billion to $40 billion, while the AfDB pledged $10 billion to $15 billion.
The China-based Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) pledged $1 billion to $1.5 billion in financing, with its president, Jin Liqun, saying, “Six hundred million people in Africa without access to electricity is intolerable.”
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) committed $4.65 billion. In a statement, it said its approach will focus on renewable energy development and rural electrification.
France’s international development agency pledged $1 billion over the next five years for the mission, while OPEC’s international development fund committed $1 billion with additional financing to follow.
Banner image of African heads of states and partners at the Mission 300 energy summit courtesy of the African Development Bank Group.
This story first appeared on Mongabay
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