Nairobi — President William Ruto is among at least 15 Heads of State and government attending the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The landmark gathering aims to accelerate energy access across Africa.
Other leaders at the summit include, Tanzania's Samia Suluhu, King Letsie III of Lesotho, President Ismail Guelleh of Djibouti, Denis Sassou Nguesso(Congo-Brazzaville), Azali Assoumani (Comoros), Andry Nirina Rajoelina (Madagascar), Hassan Sheikh Mohamud(Somalia), Julius Maada Bio (Sierra Leone), Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (Mauritania), Évariste Ndayishimiye(Burundi), Umaro Sissoco Embaló(Guinea-Bissau), Lazarus Chakwera(Malawi), Hakainde Hichilema(Zambia), and Bola Tinubu of Nigeria.
The summit provides a platform for governments, private sector leaders, development partners, and civil society to advance the ambitious goal of providing electricity access to 300 million people by 2030--a target announced by the African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group in April 2024.
Jointly hosted by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the African Union, the African Development Bank Group, and the World Bank Group, the summit seeks to outline actionable steps toward transforming Africa's energy sector.
"The Summit will highlight the urgent need for reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy to drive economic growth and unlock development across the continent," a statement on the summit's website reads.
Several countries are expected to unveil National Energy Compacts, which will outline ambitious targets and key reforms tailored to their specific contexts.
Currently, nearly 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, accounting for about half of the region's population and 83% of the global electricity access deficit.
To address this challenge, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group have joined forces with various partners to implement the Mission 300 initiative, aiming to expand electricity access to 300 million people by 2030.
The summit emphasizes the importance of combining infrastructure investments with comprehensive policy reforms across the electricity supply chain.
"The commitments and measures announced during the Summit will help secure political buy-in at the highest level, crowd in private sector financing and additional resources for energy access and fast-track critical policy measures that are essential to reaching the ambitious goals of Mission 300," the organizers stated.
