Before dawn in Nairobi’s Mathare settlement, Agnes Mbesa said she has switched from smoky kerosene lamps to electricity lighting that also powers the small shop she runs from her veranda. “Before the power came, we closed early because it was too dark,” Mbesa said. “Now people come even at night, and I can earn something.” In a different part of Kenya, fisherman Samuel Oketch described how a solar mini-grid reached his village and helped him preserve fish for longer storage and more reliable sales.
The new push for electrification is backed by donor financing intended to accelerate progress across sub-Saharan Africa, where electricity access remains uneven and can be unreliable. The article said more than 730 million people worldwide lack access to electricity, with about 600 million of them in Africa, and that limited access affects health care, education, digital connectivity and job creation. Against that backdrop, donors have pointed to electricity access as a practical driver of opportunity, rather than a distant infrastructure goal.
The European Investment Bank said it pledged more than $1.15 billion in March for renewable energy projects across sub-Saharan Africa, covering hydropower, solar, wind and grid expansion. European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño said the financing is Europe’s commitment “to provide cleaner, more affordable, and reliable energy for hundreds of millions of people in Africa.” Separately, the Rockefeller Foundation announced at the Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town that it would invest an additional $10 million in support of electrification programs in at least 15 African countries.
Rockefeller Foundation officials said the money would be deployed with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet to strengthen national programs and support government reforms. William Asiko, senior vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation, said, “African governments are choosing to transform their energy sectors by committing to national energy compacts and investing in African-led solutions.” He framed the funding as aligned with national plans, rather than stand-alone projects.
The financing fits within Mission 300, an initiative led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank that aims to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030. The article said Mission 300 works toward that goal through both grid expansion and decentralized solutions such as mini-grids and off-grid solar. It noted that mini-grids have become a key alternative in many places where national electricity grids are often unreliable, using smaller community-level systems powered by solar or hybrid energy.
The approach also distinguishes off-grid systems that operate independently at the household level, including stand-alone solar kits that provide direct access to power. According to the article, the initiative provides technical assistance to governments in Malawi and Liberia to support national energy plans, expand transmission networks and improve the reliability and efficiency of distribution systems. It also said efforts in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal include local currency financing and pooled procurement support.
Scaling electricity access, Mission 300 partners said, will require sustained funding and stronger delivery capacity, including improved monitoring and support to speed up connections. Andrew Herscowitz, CEO of the Mission 300 Accelerator at RF Catalytic Capital, said, “Energy access is key to unlocking human potential and economic development.” His comments were presented in the context of strengthening implementation to translate financing into more household connections.
The article also outlined prior lending and project activity, describing how Kenya has received funding since 2017 under Mission 300 from the World Bank and the African Development Bank and partners. It said the work includes Kenya’s Last Mile Connectivity program, targeting households near existing transformers, particularly in rural areas and informal settlements, as it moves toward universal electricity access by 2030. The story said rural access rose to about 68% in 2023 from just under 7% in 2010.
Mbesa, the shopkeeper in Mathare, said she was connected to electricity in 2021 under the Last Mile Connectivity Project, which the article described as providing free connections to households and small businesses near transformers, with funders covering a standard $115 connection fee. For more remote areas, the article said the effort incorporated off-grid solutions, including mini-grids and solar systems, to reach communities beyond the national grid. For Mbesa, the effect has been visible in her daily routine, the article said, including extended working hours and opportunities for her children to study at night.