- Tanzania, Nigeria and Ethiopia have delivered the highest number of new electricity connections under the Mission 300 initiative.
- The programme has connected more than 50 million people across 40 African countries since July 2023.
Tanzania, Nigeria, and Ethiopia have emerged as the leading beneficiaries of the World Bank-backed Mission 300 initiative, having connected more than 50 million people to electricity across Africa in less than 3 years.
The findings appear in the latest Mission 300 Progress Report, which tracks electricity connections delivered through World Bank Group-financed projects between July 1, 2023, and April 30, 2026.
The report shows that 85 electricity access projects have delivered new connections across 40 African countries, supplying power to households, businesses, schools and healthcare facilities.
Mission 300 aims to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030 through support from the World Bank Group and other development partners.
Tanzania recorded the highest number of new electricity connections, providing power to 7.5 million people. The country achieved the milestone through its Rural Electrification Expansion Programme, which connected five million people, and the Tanzania Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation Programme, which added another 2.5 million beneficiaries.
Ethiopia ranked second after connecting about 4.67 million people through four electricity access projects. The Ethiopia Electrification Programme accounted for 3.4 million new connections, while the Electricity Network Reinforcement and Expansion Project connected 1.1 million people. The Access to Distributed Electricity and Lighting in Ethiopia Project added another 165,000 beneficiaries.
Nigeria ranked third by connecting approximately 4.51 million people to electricity. The Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up Project accounted for 3.6 million beneficiaries, while the Nigeria Electrification Project connected 619,000 people. The Distribution Sector Recovery Programme added another 292,000 connections.
The report showed that Nigeria’s renewable energy and off-grid programmes delivered most of the country’s new electricity connections, with the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up Project contributing nearly 80 per cent of the total.
Nigeria’s 4.51 million beneficiaries represent almost one in every 11 new electricity connections delivered under Mission 300 across Africa.
Côte d’Ivoire ranked fourth after connecting approximately 2.9 million people through its Electricity Transmission and Access Project and the National Electricity Digitalisation and Access Operation.
Mozambique connected about 2.67 million people, while Madagascar provided electricity access to approximately 2.65 million people.
Uganda connected 2.5 million people through its Electricity Access Scale-up Project, while Rwanda delivered nearly 2.38 million new connections across three projects.
Kenya connected about two million people through three electricity access programmes, and Malawi added approximately 1.9 million beneficiaries.
World Bank Group President Ajay Banga said Mission 300 has significantly accelerated the pace of electrification across participating countries. He noted that Tanzania increased its annual electrification rate fivefold under the initiative through stronger financing and policy reforms.
Banga added that Ethiopia expanded electricity access by making grid connections more affordable through targeted reforms. He said the programme is helping countries accelerate electricity access while creating long-term platforms for sustainable development.
According to him, electricity drives economic growth by supporting businesses, healthcare, education and employment opportunities.
Despite the progress, the report estimated that nearly 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, making the continent home to the world’s largest electricity access deficit.
The report also identified eight countries that have yet to record a single electricity connection under Mission 300-supported World Bank operations. They include Angola, Cabo Verde, the Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, South Sudan and Sudan.
According to the report, projects in those countries remain in the preparation phase, have not commenced implementation or have yet to produce measurable electricity access outcomes.
Beyond country-specific projects, regional programmes also expanded electricity access.
Projects backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) connected about 6.4 million people across West and Central Africa.
The Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project added 227,000 new beneficiaries, while the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project connected another 255,000 people.
In Eastern and Southern Africa, the Regional Infrastructure Finance Facility delivered 2.6 million connections, while the Regional Energy Access Financing Platform added one million beneficiaries.
The report concluded that Mission 300 has made significant progress towards expanding electricity access across Africa but stressed that governments and development partners must accelerate implementation to close the continent’s remaining electricity access gap before 2030.