Rockefeller, Global Energy Alliance Invest over $100m to Expand Electricity in Africa

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja 

The Rockefeller Foundation as well as the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet have announced the commitment of more than $100 million to date, support of ‘Mission 300’, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank’s effort to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030. 

A statement made available in Abuja,  said since the foundation and the alliance announced their first $10 million for Mission 300 in September 2024, they have helped strengthen government delivery capacity through technical assistance, mobilised private investment, accelerated project pipelines, and advanced electrification efforts in nearly two dozen countries.

Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, Dr. Kevin Kariuki, said: “Mission 300 is fundamentally about delivery, and turning ambition into results at scale. 

“Catalytic capital from partners such as The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance plays a critical role in strengthening government delivery capacity, de-risking investments, and accelerating projects that can mobilise much larger flows of public and private finance.

President of The Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Rajiv Shah,announced that the joint commitment had increased more than tenfold to $100 million during a fireside chat with the Secretary of the US Department of Energy, Chris Wright, where they also discussed the importance of bringing clean cooking support to communities in sub-Saharan Africa – a key priority of Mission 300.    

 “The Rockefeller Foundation has made its biggest-ever bet on connecting people to electricity as the single best pathway out of large-scale poverty. Our investment in Mission 300 reflects our commitment to the best way of advancing human wellbeing in the 21st century.

“(This is) putting countries in the lead, harnessing frontier technology, and focusing relentlessly on achievable, measurable goals. We look forward to working with partners to continue the extraordinary momentum behind Mission 300 and connect even more people in Africa, including its growing youth populations, to jobs, dignity, and prosperity,” Shah stated.

Currently, 730 million people still lack access to basic electricity, and an estimated 85 per cent of those live in sub-Saharan Africa, the statement said.

This shortage, it explained, hinders healthcare, education, digital inclusion, women and children empowerment, the creation of local jobs, building economic opportunity, and more. According to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, lack of access to electricity is the single greatest predictor of extreme poverty. 

Chief Executive of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Woochong Um, said: “Reliable, affordable, abundant electricity is essential for jobs, prosperity, and resilience. Our Alliance is proud to support Mission 300, bringing together the governments, development banks, philanthropies, non-profits, and private sector partners that can help unlock investment and accelerate delivery. 

“From Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units that help governments implement national energy plans, to distributed renewable energy and productive-use programs, our focus is on ensuring that new electricity connections translate into durable economic opportunities for people and communities across Africa.” 

A partnership between the World Bank and the African Development Bank, with support from  Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance, and Sustainable Energy for All, Mission 300, it said, translates commitments into implementation through national energy compacts, economy-wide reforms, investment programs, technical assistance, and private-sector mobilization. 

Some 23 countries which have to to date benefitted include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. 

With approximately 47 per cent from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Mission 300 Accelerator – an initiative of the Foundation’s public charity, RF Catalytic Capital – and 53 per cent from the Alliance, it said the $100 million commitment includes, but is not limited to providing technical assistance to more than a dozen national energy CDMUs.

This, it explained, will help to help improve countries’ coordination, monitoring, reporting, and implementation capacities, while funding 18 “Mission 300 Fellowships” to assist with CDMU efforts to fast-track electrification efforts. 

Aside from elevating support for clean cooking solutions in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70 per cent of households rely on harmful charcoal and wood to cook their meals, the statement noted that the collaboration has expanded the Global Energy Alliance and CLASP’s Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF).

This, it said, provides grants, subsidies, and technical assistance to suppliers and distributors, to lower prices, reach more customers, and accelerate the uptake of clean, energy-efficient appliances that power small businesses, support farmers, and transform the lives of thousands of people across Africa. 

With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet said it aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs. 

On the other hand, the Rockefeller Foundation said it has invested $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the wellbeing of humanity, pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results.