Africa’s energy revolution must be African-led
Opinion: Large-scale electrification depends on the strength of public delivery systems.
By Devex – Devex | Devex
Foreign aid cuts are forcing difficult conversations across the development community. With fewer resources available, trade-offs have to be made.
Energy access sits at the center of that discussion. Africa is the fastest-growing continent, but 600 million people still have no access to electricity, causing poverty to persist. Reliable electricity is essential for countries to have functioning health systems, competitive industries, and sustained economic growth.
Recognizing that energy investments are key to achieving other development goals, the World Bank Group and African Development Bank launched Mission 300 to expand electricity access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030. The model is based on accelerating investments in power generation, power grid expansions, and off-grid solutions like minigrids and solar home systems.
From 2013–2020, I was the coordinator of Power Africa, the U.S. government-led initiative to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, which helped bring electricity to around 200 million people by supporting power projects, off-grid solar, and policy reforms that unlocked energy investment across Africa. With Mission 300, the goal is to achieve something even greater in roughly half the time. As CEO of the Mission 300 Accelerator, I am drawing on lessons learned about what works and what does not.
Success for Mission 300 depends on one central principle: African governments must be in the lead. This principle featured prominently at the recent Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, as policymakers, financiers, and practitioners came together to focus on accelerating the growth of Africa’s energy sector. Mission 300 partners announced they have helped about 44 million people in Africa gain electricity access for the first time, a strong indicator that local partnership models are working.
Electrification is not just about financing projects. It depends on the strength of the institutions responsible for implementing them. Many governments have clear electrification targets but some lack sufficient staffing, specialized technical tools, or the coordination mechanisms required for delivery.
Under Power Africa, many of the technical experts supporting governments were expatriates. That model brought valuable expertise, but it also highlighted the importance of building deeper capacity inside governments themselves. With Mission 300, there has been a deliberate effort to recruit highly qualified African professionals to work with countries on implementation.
While the two development banks focus on energy access projects, partners such as The Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All are working to draw upon and strengthen in-country delivery capacity.
Dedicated national energy compact delivery and monitoring units — CDMUs — have been established in at least 14 countries to coordinate implementation and track progress, and a cohort of Mission 300 fellows are on two-year assignments with CDMUs with 13 fellows placed so far. An expert roster also provides governments with access to specialized technical support, from grid engineering to tariff modeling, when needed.
The Mission 300 fellows are talented, mid-career African experts strengthening local capacity in each country and accelerating progress toward universal energy access. Drawing on deep experience across energy systems, infrastructure, finance, and law, they support governments to design policies, structure investments, and deliver projects that expand electricity access.
This includes Elizabeth Obode from Nigeria, an energy strategist and engineer, and Hope Miriti, a Kenyan lawyer working in Lesotho to help strengthen implementation of regulatory and investment frameworks linked to energy delivery. Miriti believes that public-private partnerships can help unlock billions in sustainable investment. Together, the fellows bring technical expertise, regional insight, and a strong commitment to advancing equitable and sustainable energy access across Africa. The program has been so effective, it is expanding to at least 18 African countries.
Projects get built by companies working with the people inside ministries, utilities, and regulators who have the authority, expertise, and resources to deliver them. The road to 300 million new electricity connections does not run through foreign boardrooms. It runs through African governments, communities, and experts.
As South African President Cyril Ramaphosa noted at the Indaba conference, “energy is not a luxury,” but a necessity for economic growth and human development. Africa has ambitious energy goals. Implementation will be achieved thanks to African leadership and expertise — it cannot be achieved without it.
