The World Bank Group and African Development Bank have connected 64 million Africans to electricity under Mission 300, advancing efforts to close the continent’s power access gap and support economic growth, business expansion and job creation by 2030.
The initiative, which targets electricity access for 300 million Africans by the end of the decade, has reached 59 million people through the World Bank Group, while the African Development Bank has connected more than five million, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga has said.
Speaking at a Civil Society Townhall on the sidelines of the 81st International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group annual meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, Mr Banga said the two institutions were accelerating implementation to bring more people onto reliable electricity supply.
“Through Mission 300, which is the effort to reach 300m people in Africa with the African Development Bank, we have reached 59 million people already,” he said.
“The African Development Bank has just announced that they have also crossed five million people.”
Launched in 2024, Mission 300 seeks to reduce Africa’s electricity access deficit by half by 2030 through grid expansion, mini-grids and standalone electricity systems.
The initiative was developed against the backdrop of nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa living without electricity, accounting for about 83% of the global population without access.
The power deficit continues to constrain businesses, healthcare delivery, agricultural production, education and digital connectivity, limiting productivity and the creation of sustainable jobs.
The initiative is backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and Sustainable Energy for All, alongside governments, development partners and private investors.
Mr Banga acknowledged that reaching the 300 million target would require sustained effort, saying the institutions were working to connect as many people as possible within the remaining period.
Beyond electricity, he outlined the World Bank Group’s broader development priorities, including healthcare, agriculture, water security and access to finance, describing them as essential foundations for economic productivity and employment.
He said the Bank’s health programmes had reached more than 600 million people, as it pursued a target of improving access to primary healthcare for 1.5 billion people by 2030.
Its AgriConnect initiative had also reached 26 million farmers, while the Water Forward platform, launched in April 2026, was expected to help countries strengthen water security.
The Bank had further expanded economic opportunities for 17 million women and women-led businesses through capital and financial services, while extending broadband access to 74 million women.
“These are not isolated efforts. They are about the foundations that people need to be productive — what I call the first pillar of the job creation strategy,” Mr Banga said.
He stressed the need for investment in both physical and human infrastructure, including roads, bridges, electricity, water systems, digital connectivity, healthcare and skills development.
On financing, he called for greater private sector and philanthropic participation, while emphasising the continued importance of concessional funding for poorer and fragile economies where private investment remained difficult to attract.
He urged stakeholders to support a strong replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional financing arm for the world’s poorest countries.
In the area of climate finance, Mr Banga said the Bank had delivered US$96 billion in climate finance in 2025, with half mobilised from private capital.
Climate-related benefits accounted for 44% of its financing, against a target of 45%.
He also said the Bank had mobilised US$112 billion in 2025, more than three times the level recorded four years earlier, although financing flows to the lowest-income countries had remained flat.
A new strategy targeting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) was launched during the week to help address financing constraints and expand economic opportunities.
Mr Banga called for a stronger focus on practical development outcomes, urging governments, development partners and investors to prioritise initiatives that improve livelihoods and create opportunities.
“Development delayed is development denied,” he said.
