As Africa accelerates energy push, Samia Suluhu Hassan’s Tanzania and Andry Rajoelina’s Madagascar are charting path forward

In a pivotal step towards addressing the continent’s energy crisis, the African Union adopted the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration on 16 February at the Ethiopia-hosted AU Summit. With over 680 million people in Africa still living without electricity, AU leaders are positioning energy as the backbone of the continent’s sustainable development and a key driver of job creation for its growing youth population.

Initially unveiled at the late-January Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in the Tanzanian capital, where it secured more than $50 billion in pledges from governments, development banks and private sector partners, the Declaration will play a vital role in expanding affordable electricity access across the continent as Africa pursues its ambitious energy future.

Encouragingly, Tanzania’s leadership in this space under its President, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been complemented by the emerging ambition of regional neighbours and fellow Mission 300 participants like Madagascar, which under President Andry Rajoelina has advanced a series of innovative reforms and sealed strategic partnerships to drive up energy access and green economic growth. With momentum building across the continent, the real test now is translating ambition into widespread progress.

Tanzania’s pioneering energy transition role

Despite Africa’s abundant renewable energy potential, a significant percentage of rural communities still lack access to clean, affordable power – a reality that the Africa Energy Summit aims to change with its goal of connecting 300 million Africans by 2030.

Tanzania is at the forefront of this push, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan capitalising on its hosting of the Summit to outline the country’s vision for how Africa can “deliver on our promise to our citizens to provide power and clean cooking solutions that will transform lives and economies.” Propelled by Hassan’s proactive stance, Tanzania is putting words into action, launching critical programmes to lead this continent-wide shift.

Last May, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the World Food Programme (WFP) chose Tanzania as its first partner country to introduce clean, efficient cooking solutions in African schools, replacing harmful, polluting methods used to prepare student meals. Under President Hassan’s leadership, Tanzania has set an ambitious target for this initiative: delivering clean cooking solutions to 80% of its population by 2033. The SEforALL-WFP project has already launched an eCooking program for 50 schools connected to the national grid, immediately benefiting over 2,500 students and laying the foundation for a broader transition away from outdated, polluting cooking methods.

Looking ahead, over 5,000 additional Tanzanian schools have been identified for inclusion in the programme, with longer-term plans aiming to reach 10,000 schools and 5 million children globally within three years. Achieving this ambition will require an estimated $100 million, supplemented by carbon financing; yet, if Tanzania’s model succeeds, it could provide a blueprint for other African nations to accelerate clean energy adoption.

President Rajoelina’s Madagascar rising to occasion

In this undertaking, Tanzania has found a natural ally in Madagascar, where President Andry Rajoelina has positioned clean energy at the heart of rural development.

In attendance at the Africa Energy Summit, which he described as a “strategic event for Africa’s energy future,” and a key opportunity for leaders to “discuss the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition,” Rajoelina was among the heads of state that presented a detailed National Energy Compact. Madagascar’s Compact lays out clear targets: expanding affordable electricity, increasing renewable energy use and attracting private investment, all while strengthening regional cooperation and scaling up clean cooking solutions.

As Rajoelina has highlighted, “in Madagascar, we face a dual necessity: ensuring fair access to electricity and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.” In September, Madagascar’s Government launched a collaboration with Africa50, the African Development Bank and the OPEC Fund to increase access to clean cooking. Focusing on expanded bioethanol production and distribution, this initiative will not only cut reliance on polluting fuels like charcoal and wood—key drivers of deforestation—but also mitigate the severe health risks they pose, particularly for women and children in rural communities.

Madagascar’s clean energy push is part of a broader strategy to enhance climate resilience. Recognising the island’s vulnerability to extreme weather, the government has established a key partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to fortify infrastructure against climate shocks and lay a solid foundation for inclusive economic development. Meanwhile, a collaboration announced in January 2025 with the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) aims to safeguard Madagascar’s unique and endangered ecosystems while protecting the livelihoods of local communities, reinforcing the country’s complementary environmental and economic goals.

Madagascar-Tanzania cooperation offers Africa-led growth blueprint

While citing the importance of international partnerships, President Andry Rajoelina has equally pointed to the potential of regional cooperation to drive forward Africa’s energy transition and achieve its homegrown development goals. Indeed, Rajoelina’s bilateral state visits to Guinea-Bissau and Angola – a relative rarity on the continent – over the past year reflect the country’s panafrican diplomatic vision.

Committed to “establishing win-win economic cooperation in the Global South,” Madagascar sent a delegation to Tanzania last spring for capacity-building exchanges focused on the mining industry – a highly strategic sector for both countries’ development. In a positive signal for the east African region’s mining industry, whose vast resources are at the heart of the world’s green energy transition, Korea signed critical minerals cooperation agreements with Tanzania and Madagascar at the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit.

Tanzania’s and Madagascar’s burgeoning economic ties represent a promising model for African development, combining regional collaboration with investment-friendly reforms to attract foreign private capital into locally-developed – rather than externally-imposed – economic visions. By fostering cross-border knowledge exchanges and securing strategic agreements, both nations are demonstrating how African-led industrial growth can take shape, from unlocking mining’s full potential to scaling up renewable energy.

Moving forward, the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration marks a turning point, yet lasting progress depends on more African governments building on the momentum of the Africa Energy Summit, exemplified by the inclusive energy and clean industrial initiatives of countries like Tanzania and Madagascar. With the right commitment and decisive action, Africa can not only close its energy gap but fuel a more resilient, sustainable future for generations to come.