Three African countries lead Africa’s biggest electrification drive as over 50 million gain power while nearly 600 million still lack electricity

More than 50 million Africans have gained access to electricity in less than three years under a World Bank-backed initiative aimed at tackling the continent’s chronic power deficit, with Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria accounting for the largest share of new connections as Africa accelerates efforts to power economic growth.

• More than 50 million Africans gained access to electricity between July 2023 and April 2026 under the World Bank-backed Mission 300 initiative.
• Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria led the gains, with Nigeria connecting over 4.5 million people, largely through off-grid renewable energy projects.
• Despite the progress, nearly 600 million Africans still lack electricity, underscoring the continent's vast energy access challenge.
• The report says sustained investment, faster project delivery and expanded renewable energy solutions will be essential to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.

The milestone, achieved between July 2023 and April 2026, was recorded under Mission 300, a World Bank Group-backed initiative that seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030 through grid expansion, mini-grids and off-grid renewable energy solutions.

But despite the rapid progress, the latest Mission 300 Progress Report underscores the scale of Africa’s energy challenge.

Nearly 600 million people across the continent still lack access to electricity, leaving Africa with the world’s largest electricity access gap and highlighting the investment still required to support industrialisation, digital transformation and economic development.

The report, which tracked electricity connections delivered through 85 World Bank-financed projects across 40 African countries, also revealed stark disparities in progress.

While a handful of countries accounted for millions of new connections, eight countries have yet to record a single electricity connection despite having approved or ongoing World Bank-supported projects.

World Bank Group President Ajay Banga described the 50-million milestone as an important achievement but said the pace of implementation and long-term partnerships behind the initiative matter even more.

“Mission 300 is helping countries move faster, connect more people, and build a platform that will last well beyond this effort, which others can use, build on, and scale for years to come. At the end of the day, electricity is not just about power. It is about what it enables: jobs, business, health care, education, and opportunity,” Banga said.

Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria lead Africa’s electricity gains

According to the report, Tanzania recorded the highest number of new electricity connections, bringing power to 7.5 million people through its Rural Electrification Expansion Programme and the Tanzania Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation Programme.

The country has increased its pace of electrification nearly five-fold compared with the years before Mission 300, driven by stronger financing and policy reforms.

Ethiopia ranked second after connecting about 4.67 million people through four major electricity projects.

The Ethiopia Electrification Programme alone accounted for about 3.4 million new connections, while the Electricity Network Reinforcement and Expansion Project added another 1.1 million beneficiaries.

The Access to Distributed Electricity and Lighting in Ethiopia project connected an additional 165,000 people.

Nigeria placed third, with approximately 4.51 million people gaining access to electricity despite the country’s long-standing power sector challenges.

The report attributed much of Nigeria’s progress to the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project, which connected 3.6 million people, accounting for nearly 80% of the country’s total new electricity connections during the reporting period.

Additional gains came through the Nigeria Electrification Project, which connected 619,000 people, and the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme, which added another 292,000 beneficiaries.

Nigeria’s performance means the country accounted for almost one in every 11 new electricity connections delivered under Mission 300 across Africa.

Beyond the top three performers, Côte d’Ivoire connected about 2.9 million people, followed by Mozambique (2.67 million), Madagascar (2.65 million), Uganda (2.5 million), Rwanda (2.38 million), Kenya (2 million), Malawi (1.9 million) and Chad, which surpassed one million new connections.

Collectively, these countries accounted for a substantial share of all electricity connections recorded under World Bank-supported operations during the review period.

Off-grid energy powers Nigeria’s progress

The report highlights the growing role of renewable energy and decentralised electricity systems in expanding electricity access across Africa.

In Nigeria, off-grid and renewable energy projects contributed significantly to the country’s progress, with DARES emerging as the single biggest driver of new electricity connections.

The findings reinforce the increasing importance of mini-grids and standalone solar systems in reaching rural and underserved communities where extending the national grid remains costly and technically challenging.

While the report measures new electricity connections, it does not necessarily reflect the reliability or quality of electricity supplied, an issue that continues to affect many African countries, including Nigeria.

Eight countries still record no electricity gains

While many countries made significant progress, the report revealed that Angola, Cabo Verde, the Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, South Sudan and Sudan have yet to record a single electricity connection under Mission 300-tracked World Bank operations.

According to the report, projects in those countries remain at preparatory stages, have not commenced implementation or are yet to produce measurable electricity access outcomes.

For instance, Angola’s Electricity Sector Improvement and Access Project and Angola Secondary Cities Support Programme had not recorded any new electricity connections during the review period.

Similarly, Senegal’s Energy Access Scale-Up Project, Guinea-Bissau’s Solar Energy Scale-Up and Access Project and South Sudan’s Energy Sector Access and Institutional Strengthening Project had yet to produce recorded beneficiaries as of April 2026.

Regional projects expand electricity access

Beyond national programmes, regional initiatives also contributed significantly to Africa’s electrification drive.

In West and Central Africa, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)-backed projects connected about 6.4 million people.

The Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project added another 227,000 beneficiaries, while the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project connected approximately 255,000 people.

In Eastern and Southern Africa, the Regional Infrastructure Finance Facility delivered about 2.6 million electricity connections, while the Regional Energy Access Financing Platform added another one million.

Why it matters

Reliable electricity remains one of Africa’s biggest barriers to economic growth.

Limited access to power continues to constrain manufacturing, healthcare, education, digital services, mining and industrial development across much of the continent.

The latest Mission 300 figures show that Africa is making measurable progress in closing its electricity access gap.

However, with nearly 600 million people still living without power, sustaining investment, accelerating project implementation and expanding renewable energy solutions will be critical if the continent is to achieve universal electricity access and unlock its long-term economic potential.