By AAyomide Otitoju
With support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Mission 300 convened its first “Mission 300 Day” on the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) 2025 Market Days in Rabat, Morocco.
The event showcased investment-ready opportunities embedded in countries’ National Energy Compacts and mobilised action toward the initiative’s central goal: delivering electricity access to 300 million people across Africa by 2030.
The gathering brought together African government ministers, investors, and development financiers to highlight national commitments, present implementation roadmaps, and review progress on essential regulatory reforms aimed at unlocking private-sector capital. It also served as a platform to strengthen investor–government dialogue, support African private-sector leadership, and promote the exchange of best practices for expanding electricity access.
Mission 300, led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank, brings together African governments, private-sector players, and development partners to accelerate electricity access for 300 million people by 2030. To date, 29 African countries have developed National Energy Compacts with time-bound targets to expand access, reinforce utilities, and attract private investment.
During the Mission 300 Day, ministers from Comoros, Guinea, Gambia, and Lesotho outlined detailed implementation plans and deadlines for achieving universal electricity access by 2030. They engaged directly with private-sector leaders and development partners on reforms required to catalyse investment.
Since its launch in 2018, the Africa Investment Forum has attracted more than $225 billion in investment interest across sectors aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the African Development Bank’s Four Cardinal Points.
Speakers underscored the strategic importance of Mission 300. They highlighted the need for rapid investment in generation, transmission, distribution, and last-mile infrastructure; reforms to ensure affordable tariffs and financially sustainable utilities; and innovative blended-finance solutions to scale distributed renewable energy and other emerging technologies.
They also stressed that expanding energy access is critical for economic growth, job creation, and improving livelihoods across the continent.
