• Mission 300 commitment has grown from US$10 million to US$100 million over past 19 months
• Strengthening delivery capacity, mobilising private investment, accelerating project pipelines, and advancing Mission 300 efforts in nearly two dozen countries

At the Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C., The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, announced that they have committed more than US$100 million to date to support Mission 300, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank’s ambitious effort to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030.

Since The Rockefeller Foundation and the Alliance announced their first US$10 million for Mission 300 in September 2024, they have helped strengthen government delivery capacity through technical assistance, mobilized private investment, accelerated project pipelines, and advanced electrification efforts in nearly two dozen countries.

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, announced that their joint commitment has increased more than tenfold to US$100 million during a fireside chat with Chris Wright, secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, where they also discussed the importance of bringing clean cooking support to communities in sub-Saharan Africa – a key priority of Mission 300.

Dr. Kevin Kariuki, vice president for Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, said:

“Mission 300 is fundamentally about delivery, and turning ambition into results at scale. Catalytic capital from partners such as The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance plays a critical role in strengthening government delivery capacity, de-risking investments, and accelerating projects that can mobilize much larger flows of public and private finance.”

“The Rockefeller Foundation has made its biggest-ever bet on connecting people to electricity as the single best pathway out of large-scale poverty,” said Dr. Shah. “Our investment in Mission 300 reflects our commitment to the best way of advancing human well-being in the 21st century: putting countries in the lead, harnessing frontier technology, and focusing relentlessly on achievable, measurable goals. We look forward to working with partners to continue the extraordinary momentum behind Mission 300 and connect even more people in Africa, including its growing youth populations, to jobs, dignity, and prosperity.” 

Currently, 730 million people still lack access to basic electricity, and an estimated 85% of those live in sub-Saharan Africa.

This shortage hinders healthcare, education, digital inclusion, women and children empowerment, the creation of local jobs, building economic opportunity, and more.

According to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, lack of access to electricity is the single greatest predictor of extreme poverty.

“Reliable, affordable, abundant electricity is essential for jobs, prosperity, and resilience,” said Woochong Um, CEO of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet. “Our Alliance is proud to support Mission 300, bringing together the governments, development banks, philanthropies, non-profits, and private sector partners that can help unlock investment and accelerate delivery. From Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units that help governments implement national energy plans, to distributed renewable energy and productive-use programs, our focus is on ensuring that new electricity connections translate into durable economic opportunity for people and communities across Africa.”

A partnership between The World Bank and the African Development Bank, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance, and Sustainable Energy for All, Mission 300 translates commitments into implementation through national energy compacts, economy-wide reforms, investment programs, technical assistance, and private-sector mobilization.

Since The Rockefeller Foundation and the Alliance first announced their initial US$10 million commitment, their collective support has grown to more than US$100 million for Mission 300 in 23 countries to date: Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. With approximately 47% from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Mission 300 Accelerator – an initiative of the Foundation’s public charity, RF Catalytic Capital – and 53% from the Alliance, the US$100 million commitment includes, but is not limited to:

• Providing technical assistance to more than a dozen National Energy Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units (CDMUs) to help improve countries’ coordination, monitoring, reporting, and implementation capacities, while funding 18 “Mission 300 Fellowships” to assist with CDMU efforts to fast-track electrification efforts.

• Elevating support for clean cooking solutions in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of householdshave no choice but to rely on harmful, polluting fuels such as charcoal and wood to cook their meals by launching the Clean Cooking Accelerator Initiative, piloting a Clean Cooking Delivery Unit in Kenya that is serving as a model for scaling similar initiatives across the continent, and announcing the first four Clean Cooking Fellows will help strengthen the capacity of countries with National Energy Compact Delivery Units to develop investable projects.

• Expanding the the Global Energy Alliance and CLASP’s Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF), which provides grants, subsidies, and technical assistance to suppliers and distributors, to lower prices, reach more customers, and accelerate the uptake of clean, energy-efficient appliances that power small businesses, support farmers, and transform the lives of thousands of people across Africa.

• Advancing African-led energy solutions with support for strengthening interdisciplinary energy systems research and analysis by Africans about Africa through African Energy Futures Initiative and with support for building the next generation of African regulators and energy industry professionals through the African School of Regulation, while helping expand electricity demand and strengthen local energy markets and by providing technical assistance and project preparation.

• Investing in Zafiri, Mission 300’s permanent capital fund originated by the World Bank and African Development Bank, to provide patient equity in a range of distributed renewable energy programs and investment facilities, while addressing rural electrification challenges, incentivizing developers to stimulate energy demand within the rural communities that they serve, and increasing awareness and funding support for Africa’s off-grid solar sector.

• Launching a new, more flexible, short-medium-term technical assistance facility that is designed to deploy philanthropic capital swiftly to help accelerate the pace and efficiency of African governments’ and the multilateral development banks’ electricity access projects.

• Enabling an investment-friendly environment both prior to and since Mission 300’s inception, including from the private sector through the Acumen Hardest to Reach Fund and via the World Bank and African Development Bank trust funds, such as the World Bank’s Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) initiative in West and Central Africa and the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA).

• Aligning support and additional resources for Mission 300 from the Alliance’s Global Leadership Council, a coalition of nearly three dozen global finance, clean energy, and philanthropy leaders co-chaired by Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, and Dr. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation.

Since the World Bank and African Development Bank launched Mission 300 in April 2024, around 44 million people across Africa have been connected to electricity, with a pipeline of tens of millions more by the end of 2026.

In order to define targets, reforms, and investment priorities and accelerate access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy by 2030, Mission 300 has supported the launch of National Energy Compacts in 30 countries to date.

To address this, the World Bank and African Development Bank launched Mission 300, a plan designed to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. 

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) has now pledged $16 million at UNGA 80 to speed up this initiative.

According to GEAPP, the latest commitment is expected to reduce market barriers, strengthen government and community capacity, and open the door to additional investment in clean energy technologies.

Woochong Um, GEAPP’s chief executive, explained the scale. “Our Alliance’s work in Africa, including Mission 300, is proof of what’s possible when governments, business, and philanthropy act together with urgency and purpose—turning ambition into real power, real jobs, and real opportunity for millions across the continent.”

Where the Funds Are Going

The Democratic Republic of Congo will receive the largest share, over $7 million channelled through the Mwinda Fund, managed by GreenMax. This support is set to expand mini- and metro-grid projects and attract nine times more capital, potentially bringing electricity to millions in a country where 70 million people still live without it.

Nigeria has been allocated more than $2 million to scale interconnected mini grids with RMI, with a target of 100MW deployment and a pipeline of 500MW. RMI’s Chief Executive, Jon Creyts, described the move as transformational: 

“Interconnected mini grids are a game-changer for Nigeria’s energy future. By combining on-site renewables with grid power, mini-grids deliver reliable, affordable electricity to underserved communities, reduce reliance on costly diesel, and create new value for developers and utilities. With support from the Energy Alliance, we’re scaling this model to accelerate energy access for millions of Nigerians.”

In Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and Nigeria, $5 million has been earmarked for Odyssey Energy Solutions’ Demand Aggregation for Renewable Technology (DART 3.0). The initiative is expected to pool equipment demand, cut costs, and unlock as much as $125 million in investments. 

“By reducing costs and accelerating deployment timelines, we are creating a more efficient and investable market for distributed renewable energy,” said Emily McAteer, Odyssey’s co-founder and CEO.

South Africa will also benefit through a $1.5 million partnership with its Just Energy Transition Programme Management Unit, aimed at attracting new capital and strengthening the shift to clean power.

A Continent-Wide Push

The Alliance stressed that lack of coordination continues to slow progress in Africa’s energy sector. Carol Koech, GEAPP’s vice president for Africa, said: “The Alliance recognizes the tremendous challenge that energy access poses to communities across Africa, and the lack of coordination is a major brake on progress. We are continuing to align public, private and philanthropic partners to channel resources wherever we can to create the greatest impact.”

Since its launch at COP26 in 2021, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) has awarded $503 million in catalytic funding, bringing $7.8 billion in investments. Current projects span more than 30 countries and are projected to deliver electricity to 91 million people, generate 3.1 million jobs, and avoid 296 million tons of CO₂ emissions.

This $16 million pledge sharpens its focus on scaling solutions in fragile and underserved markets, where access to power usually determines whether economies can grow or stall.