The World Bank Group and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet have launched a new partnership aimed at ensuring electricity access across Africa translates into jobs, higher incomes and broader economic growth, as development institutions intensify efforts to tackle energy poverty on the continent.
The partnership, unveiled on Wednesday in Nairobi, will establish a regional Centre of Excellence focused on promoting the productive use of energy across African economies.
The initiative seeks to help governments integrate electricity access into agriculture, small businesses and other productive sectors capable of generating employment and stimulating local economies.
According to the World Bank, expanding electricity access alone will not deliver sustainable economic transformation unless energy is effectively linked to productive activities that increase incomes and improve livelihoods.
Lead Energy Specialist at the World Bank Group, Dana Rysankova, said the initiative would strengthen the implementation of Mission 300, a continent-wide electrification programme targeting electricity access for 300 million additional Africans by 2030.
“This new Centre of Excellence will help countries unlock the full economic potential of electrification by promoting productive uses of energy that create jobs, improve livelihoods and strengthen local economies,” she said.
Mission 300 is jointly led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Sustainable Energy for All and the Global Energy Alliance.
The programme has already connected more than 45 million people to electricity since July 2023.
Despite progress recorded in expanding access to electricity across Africa over the past decade, hundreds of millions of people on the continent still remain without power, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Development experts say one of the major challenges facing electrification projects is low energy consumption after connections are made.
In many communities, electricity use remains limited to household lighting and mobile phone charging, weakening the financial sustainability of power projects and discouraging large-scale investments.
The new Centre of Excellence is expected to address these challenges by helping governments and development partners incorporate productive energy use into national electrification strategies while improving coordination between public and private sector stakeholders.
Managing Director of Powering Opportunity at the Global Energy Alliance, Makena Ireri, said electricity access must become a catalyst for economic opportunity across Africa.
“When farmers are able to process and store their produce, and small businesses can power machinery and expand operations, energy access becomes a driver of income growth and employment,” she said.
Under the partnership, participating countries will receive technical assistance, policy support, market development initiatives and access to knowledge-sharing platforms designed to accelerate productive energy use.
The initiative will also support implementation of Mission 300 National Energy Compacts and Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units across participating countries.
Officials said the programme would prioritise support for smallholder farmers, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and underserved communities in more than 20 African countries.
The Centre is expected to develop practical tools, improve investment coordination, strengthen financing pipelines and support local businesses through improved access to capital and market opportunities.
