The Africa Heads of State Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, has set the stage for what could be the continent’s most ambitious energy transformation yet. Under the banner of “Mission 300,” African leaders, alongside global development partners, have committed to providing electricity to 300 million people by 2030.
This declaration marks a seismic shift from fragmented national efforts to a unified, continent-wide strategy backed by unprecedented financial commitments and political will. The summit, hosted by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, brought together heads of state, multilateral development banks, and private sector leaders to address Africa’s energy crisis.
The summit’s declaration lays out concrete steps. It calls for overhauling power systems. It demands the rehabilitation and expansion of generation, transmission, and distribution networks. The document spells out reform and transparency in procurement. Leaders urge competitive bidding and cost-effective planning. They call on national reforms that enable private investment.
Nearly 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, and almost 1 billion lack clean cooking solutions.
A Unified Vision for Energy Access
The Dar es Salaam Declaration outlines a comprehensive roadmap to tackle these challenges. Central to the plan is the recognition that achieving universal energy access requires more than just funding—it demands systemic reforms, regional cooperation, and private sector engagement.
“We don’t feel like donors; we are partnering with the continent,” said Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. What the summit termed as a shift from traditional aid models to collaborative partnerships.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank have pledged $48 billion in financing. This funding is set to be available through 2030. The funding will be complemented by private sector investments and technical assistance to drive energy sector reforms. Additional commitments include USD 48 billion in financing through 2030. This funding will be complemented by private sector investments and technical assistance to drive energy sector reforms.
Additional commitments include USD 1 billion from France’s Agence Française de Développement (AFD), USD 2.65 billion from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and up to USD 1.5 billion from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
This funding will be complemented by private sector investments and technical assistance to drive energy sector reforms.
Private Sector Mobilization
Private sector participation emerged as a key theme. “The private sector is not yet as involved as it should be in financing the energy sector in Africa,” said Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
To address this, the IFC announced a $1 billion fund for decentralized renewable energy and off-grid solar solutions.
Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, explained infrastructure challenges. “When you build a renewable energy plant, you must then transport that electricity, and that is where the challenge lies,” he said.
This shows the need for investments in transmission and distribution networks, which have often been neglected in favor of generation projects.
Innovative Financing and Regional Integration
The summit also explained the innovative financing mechanisms to de-risk energy projects and attract private capital.
The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) unveiled a new Capital Markets mechanism listed on the London Stock Exchange, while the M300 Accelerator announced plans for an “M300 fellowship program” to place talent within African governments to support energy reforms.
Regional integration was another key focus. African leaders agreed to invest in cross-border interconnections and harmonize transmission planning and grid codes. “Leveraging regional integration is essential to unlock Africa’s full energy potential,” said Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB.
Clean cooking a silent crisis
The summit also addressed the clean cooking crisis, which claims 600,000 lives annually in Africa due to indoor air pollution. Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu, a vocal advocate for clean cooking, explained her country’s strategy to achieve 80% adoption of clean cooking solutions by 2034.
“This summit goes beyond energy access. It is about empowering families, lifting millions out of poverty, and providing hope and opportunities for youth,” she said.
From Commitments to Action
The real test of the summit’s success will be in its implementation. Twelve countries—Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia have already presented Energy Compacts outlining their reform plans. These nations will serve as test cases for Mission 300’s approach.
Ethiopia, for instance, has set an ambitious target of achieving universal electricity access by 2028. “Despite achieving an overall access rate of 54%, a staggering 60 million citizens still lack access to electricity,” said President Taye Astike Selassie Amde.
Benin’s Vice President Miriam Chabi Talata shared her country’s progress in reducing energy dependency. “Since 2016, we’ve undertaken to produce our own electricity to end dependency on Ghana and Nigeria. Today, we produce 50% of our energy,” she said.
A Collaborative Future
France’s President Emmanuel Macron, via video link, pledged €1 billion to support energy access in Africa. “Universal access to electricity is critical to get justice for Africa. This is a shared fight, and we will win it with all the heads of states and governments of Africa,” he said.
The UK, Norway, and Denmark also increased their contributions to the AfDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), further bolstering the initiative’s financial backbone. The Dar es Salaam Declaration represents a turning point in Africa’s energy journey.
By 2025, all participating countries are expected to have National Energy Compacts in place, providing a framework for coordinated action. The African Union Summit in February 2025 will serve as a critical checkpoint for continent-wide adoption of the Declaration. As Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema noted, “African countries are ready to provide the business environment that will make it easier to achieve this agenda.”
The next 12-18 months will be crucial in determining whether Mission 300 can deliver on its promise. The stakes are high, but so is the potential reward. As World Bank President Ajay Banga said, “No one can do it alone. Governments cannot do it alone. Businesses cannot do it alone. Philanthropies cannot do it alone. Development banks cannot do it alone. But together we can.”
