AfDB approves $3.9m project to expand electricity access in Africa  

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $3.9 million two-year technical assistance project to support African countries to expand electricity access.  

The new project, dubbed: AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, will provide direct technical support to 13 Mission 300 countries over the next 24 months.  

It is intended to give those countries the needed backing in the implementation of their National Energy Compacts under Mission 300, an AfDB–World Bank initiative designed to connect some three hundred million Africans to electricity by 2030.   

Energy Compacts are national plans in which governments set out how they will expand electricity access, strengthen their power sectors, and attract investment.   

Over the past year, dozens of African countries have launched these compacts, backed by strong political commitments and pledges from development partners.   

The AfDB, in a press release on Saturday, said in practical terms, AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II would help governments to improve electricity regulations, planning, and tariffs to enhance investments.  

It would also strengthen utilities so they can deliver more reliable power and reduce losses, support better data, research and learning across countries through tools like the Electricity Regulatory Index and regional energy forums, it said.  

Additionally, the project would help place expert advisers inside national Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units to help governments coordinate reforms and track progress.   

It is expected to enable the beneficiary countries – Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, DRC, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, and Uganda – to move from documented energy plans to actual electricity connections for homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.  

“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,” the release quoted Wale Shonibare, the Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the AfDB, as saying.   

The new project follows the approval of AESTAP Mission 300 Phase I in December 2025, which provided about $1 million to help countries set up and run their Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units.  

These units sit inside governments and are responsible for coordinating energy reforms across ministries and tracking progress.  

The Phase I focused on creating and strengthening these delivery teams – training staff, setting up monitoring tools, and helping countries plan their next steps.  

“The Phase II will build on this by providing the technical support needed to implement planned reforms,” the release said.  

“The project will be implemented in coordination with other Mission 300 partners, including the World Bank, governments, and development organisations, to ensure a coordinated effort.”  

Source: GNA  

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