AfDB Approves $3.9m Programme to Help African Nations Deliver Electricity Under Mission 300

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a new $3.9 million, two-year technical assistance programme aimed at helping African countries turn national energy commitments into real electricity connections under Mission 300, the AfDB–World Bank initiative to connect 300 million Africans to power by 2030.

Approved by the AfDB Board of Directors, the programme will support countries that have adopted National Energy Compacts - policy frameworks outlining how governments plan to expand electricity access, strengthen power sectors and attract private investment. Over the past year, dozens of African countries have launched such compacts, backed by high-level political commitment and support from development partners.

The initiative, known as AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, will provide hands-on technical assistance to 13 Mission 300 countries over the next 24 months. The goal is to help governments move from written energy plans to actual electricity connections for households, schools, hospitals and businesses.

The beneficiary countries are Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia and Uganda.

Under the programme, AfDB support will focus on improving electricity regulations, planning frameworks and tariff structures to unlock investment, strengthening power utilities to deliver more reliable supply and reduce losses, and enhancing data, research and knowledge-sharing across countries. This will include the use of tools such as the Electricity Regulatory Index and regional energy forums.

The programme will also deploy expert advisers within national Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units to help governments coordinate reforms across ministries and track progress towards agreed targets.

Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the AfDB, said the initiative was designed to ensure that political commitments translate into tangible outcomes.

“Countries have made bold commitments through their energy compacts. Now, through AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, we are helping them implement those commitments so that more households, entrepreneurs, and communities actually get electricity,” he said.

The new approval builds on AESTAP Mission 300 Phase I, which was approved in December 2025 with funding of about $1 million. Phase I focused on helping countries establish and operationalise their Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units, which are embedded within governments and tasked with coordinating energy sector reforms and monitoring progress.

That first phase concentrated on training staff, setting up monitoring systems and supporting planning processes. Phase II will now deepen this work by providing the technical expertise needed to implement reforms already identified in national energy plans.

The AfDB said the programme would be implemented in close coordination with other Mission 300 partners, including the World Bank, national governments and development organisations, to ensure a unified and effective approach to expanding electricity access across the continent.