THE African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has announced plans to host Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit focused on accelerating energy access essential for driving economic growth, creating jobs, and improving education and health services for Sub-Saharan Africa.

The summit will be held in collaboration with the World Bank Group, African Union, and Tanzanian government in Dar es Salaam from January 27 to 28, 2025.

The landmark summit will bring together African heads of state and government, private sector leaders, development partners and donors, sector experts, civil society organisations, members of academia, and other stakeholders.

It will mobilise and help African leaders secure the financial resources, partnerships, and political commitment required to achieve the Mission 300 plan and consolidate progress already made by African countries towards universal electrification.

The Mission 300, launched in April 2024 by the AfDB Group and the World Bank Group will provide access to electricity to 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.

It will combine increased infrastructure investment and comprehensive policy reforms across the entire electricity supply chain to transform lives and improve livelihoods and communities across the continent.

“Nearly 600 million Africans have no access to electricity, representing about 83 per cent of the global energy deficit.

“Accelerating the pace of electrification in Africa is urgent and within reach,” it added.

Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries face erratic power supply mainly due to obsolete infrastructure and poor governance that have led to breakdowns in electricity supply for many years.

For instance, in 2024, The ICIR reported many grid collapses that threw many parts of Nigeria into darkness, impacting household activities and business operations, and worsening the country’s economy.