December 9, 2025
Credit: World Economic Forum
THE Africa Investment Forum (AIF) convened its first-ever “Mission 300 Day”, bringing together African governments, investors and development partners to accelerate plans to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030.
The event, held on the sidelines of the AIF 2025 Market Days this week, was co-hosted by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB), with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and Sustainable Energy for All.
Mission 300 is a joint World Bank–AfDB effort aimed at expanding electricity access across the continent.
Twenty-nine African nations have already developed National Energy Compacts detailing how they intend to boost access, reform utilities and attract private investment.
Ministers from Comoros, Guinea, The Gambia and Lesotho used the Rabat gathering to present their implementation roadmaps and discuss the regulatory changes needed to draw more private capital into the power sector.
Since its creation in 2018, the AIF has attracted more than $225 billion in investment interest across sectors aligned with Africa’s long-term development goals.
World Bank regional infrastructure director Erik Fernstrom said the event underscored growing confidence among investors.
“Mission 300 is proving that Africa is open for business,” he said, noting that reforms and ready-to-finance projects were creating “real opportunities for private capital”.
AfDB energy chief Kevin Kariuki said the initiative would require rapid expansion of generation, transmission and distribution networks, backed by reforms to ensure affordable tariffs and financially sound utilities.
“We are committed to de-risking investments and mobilising institutional capital,” he said.
Other partners stressed the need for innovation and blended finance to speed progress.
Carol Koech of the Global Energy Alliance said new technologies and flexible financing models would help reach underserved communities faster, while Sustainable Energy for All CEO Damilola Ogunbiyi said investor-ready platforms were essential to scaling clean energy solutions.
Rockefeller Foundation vice president William Asiko called Mission 300 “one of the most ambitious energy access endeavours of our time”, adding that governments and partners were now aligned behind a credible pipeline of projects.
The initiative aims to deliver clean, reliable and affordable electricity to hundreds of millions of Africans before the end of the decade.