The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $3.9 million, two-year technical assistance project to support Nigeria and 12 other African countries in implementing their national energy plans under the Mission 300 initiative, aimed at expanding electricity access across the continent by 2030.
The approval, granted by the AfDB Board of Directors, was disclosed in a statement published on the bank’s website on Friday. The project is designed to help participating countries translate existing energy policies and commitments into concrete electricity connections for households, businesses and public institutions.
The initiative comes amid renewed efforts by African governments and development partners to close the continent’s electricity access gap, which continues to hinder economic growth, industrialisation and social development. Despite significant policy reforms and investment pledges in recent years, millions of Africans remain without reliable access to power.
According to the AfDB, the new intervention—known as the Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Programme (AESTAP) Mission 300 Phase II—will provide hands-on technical support to 13 Mission 300 countries over the next 24 months. Beneficiary countries include Nigeria, Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia and Uganda.
Explaining the rationale behind the project, the bank said many countries have already developed National Energy Compacts outlining how they intend to expand electricity access, reform power sector institutions and attract private investment. However, moving from documented plans to actual electricity connections has remained a major challenge.
Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the AfDB, said African countries have made “bold commitments” through their Energy Compacts, but additional support is needed to turn those promises into real outcomes.
“The focus now is on delivery—ensuring that households, entrepreneurs and communities actually gain access to electricity,” Shonibare said. He noted that the new phase of support would provide targeted technical assistance to help governments implement reforms, strengthen institutions and accelerate new connections.
Under the approved project, AfDB will support participating countries to improve electricity regulations, planning frameworks and tariff structures to unlock public and private investment. The initiative will also focus on strengthening power utilities to improve operational efficiency, reduce technical and commercial losses, and deliver more reliable electricity services.
In addition, the project will support improved data collection, research and cross-country learning through platforms such as the Electricity Regulatory Index and regional energy forums. The bank said expert advisers would be embedded within national Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units to help governments coordinate reforms, track progress and resolve implementation bottlenecks.
Mission 300 was jointly launched by the World Bank and the African Development Bank in January 2025, with the goal of providing electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030. As part of the initiative, African countries were encouraged to develop National Energy Compacts serving as roadmaps for power sector reforms and investment mobilisation.
Over the past year, dozens of countries have launched these compacts, backed by political commitments from governments and pledges of support from development partners. However, the AfDB acknowledged that weak institutional capacity, regulatory gaps and financing constraints have slowed implementation in many countries.
The newly approved Phase II project builds on an earlier AfDB intervention. In December 2025, the bank approved about $1 million for AESTAP Mission 300 Phase I, which focused on helping countries establish and operationalise Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units within government structures. Phase II is expected to deepen that support by providing the technical expertise required to implement planned reforms and scale up electricity connections.
Beyond Mission 300, the AfDB has continued to expand its financial support for Nigeria and the wider region. In November, the bank approved a $500 million loan to the Federal Government of Nigeria to finance the second phase of the Economic Governance and Energy Transition Support Programme. It also approved a $100 million loan to the Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund to boost sustainable infrastructure development across Africa.
The AfDB said the Mission 300 Phase II project would be implemented in close coordination with the World Bank, national governments and other development partners to ensure alignment, maximise impact and avoid duplication of efforts.
