Groups okay $100m to boost electricity
By Chikodi Okereocha Two groups, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance), said they have committed more than $100 million to date
By Chikodi Okereocha
Two groups, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance), said they have committed more than $100 million to date to support Mission 300, an ambitious effort of the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030.
They made the announcement at the Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C, United States of America (USA). Since both organisations announced their first $10 million for Mission 300 in September 2024, they have helped strengthen government delivery capacity through technical assistance, mobilized private investment, accelerated project pipelines, and advanced electrification efforts in nearly two dozen countries.
President of The Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, said their joint commitment has increased more than tenfold to $100 million during a fireside chat with Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, The Hon. Chris Wright.
At the fireside chat, Dr. Shah and Wright also discussed the importance of bringing clean cooking support to communities in sub-Saharan Africa – a key priority of Mission 300.
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“The Rockefeller Foundation has made its biggest-ever bet on connecting people to electricity as the single best pathway out of large-scale poverty.
“Our investment in Mission 300 reflects our commitment to the best way of advancing human well-being in the 21st century: putting countries in the lead, harnessing frontier technology, and focusing relentlessly on achievable, measurable goals.
“We look forward to working with partners to continue the extraordinary momentum behind Mission 300 and connect even more people in Africa, including its growing youth populations, to jobs, dignity, and prosperity,” Dr. Shah said.
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the U.S and around the world.
The Foundation leverages scientific breakthroughs, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance, including with its public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC).
On the other hand, the Global Energy Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity.
Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation and Bezos Earth Fund, it works to unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress that goes beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change.
“Reliable, affordable, abundant electricity is essential for jobs, prosperity, and resilience,” CEO of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Woochong Um, said.
Um added: “Our Alliance is proud to support Mission 300, bringing together the governments, development banks, philanthropies, non-profits, and private sector partners that can help unlock investment and accelerate delivery.
“From Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units that help governments implement national energy plans, to distributed renewable energy and productive-use programs, our focus is on ensuring that new electricity connections translate into durable economic opportunity for people and communities across Africa.”
Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth at the AfDB, Dr. Kevin Kariuki, said: “Mission 300 is fundamentally about delivery, and turning ambition into results at scale.
“Catalytic capital from partners such as The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance plays a critical role in strengthening government delivery capacity, de-risking investments, and accelerating projects that can mobilize much larger flows of public and private finance.”
Currently, 730 million people still lack access to basic electricity, and an estimated 85 per cent of those live in sub-Saharan Africa. This shortage hinders healthcare, education, digital inclusion, women and children empowerment, the creation of local jobs, building economic opportunity, and more.
According to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, lack of access to electricity is the single greatest predictor of extreme poverty.
A partnership between the World Bank and the AfDB, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance, and Sustainable Energy for All, Mission 300 translates commitments into implementation through national energy compacts, economy-wide reforms, investment programs, technical assistance, and private-sector mobilization.
Since The Rockefeller Foundation and the Alliance first announced their initial $10 million commitment, their collective support has grown to more than $100 million for Mission 300 in 23 countries to date.
The countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, and Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
