Oganizations have expressed excitement, at the announcement of the “Mission 300” project.
The project, is a partnership between the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank, to provide access to electricity to 300 million people, in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
Currently, about 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, lack access to electricity.
Last week, ahead of the Climate Summit in New York, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and The Rockefeller Foundation announced support for “Mission 300” (M300).
Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, said this is one of the most important global development undertaking in decades.
“Whether our collective future is defined by crisis or opportunity depends on big bets like Mission 300.”
While Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, said “turning on the switch for more Africans, either through connections to the electricity grid or distributed renewable energy solutions, such as mini-grids powered by solar panels and stand-alone solar installations, could be transformational for people’s well-being, protecting forests, and all facets of the region’s economy.”
The initial phase of the project, is expected to connect 250 million people to electricity, while the African Development Bank will extend infrastructure to an additional 50 million.
The second phase of the mission, includes powering up both the Western and Central Africa.
This includes the Nigeria Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project, scheduled to benefit over 17.5 million Nigerians, or 20 percent of the country’s currently unserved population, while replacing over 250,000 polluting and expensive diesel generators.
The new Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE), covering Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo, also focuses on increasing electricity access for millions of consumers by boosting grid-connected renewable energy capacity and regional interconnections and transmission.
Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, said “businesses must step in and scale up investments in transmission, distribution, and cross-border energy trade.
Institutions like the International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency within the World Bank Group are collaborating to provide better incentives and guarantees for companies operating in this space.”