Nigeria’s Federal Government has launched an ambitious plan to secure $32.8 billion in investments to provide electricity to 300 million unserved Africans under the Mission 300 Compact, with $15.5 billion expected from private sector partners. The initiative, aimed at bridging Africa’s energy access gap, was announced by Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu during a stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja.
The Mission 300 Compact aligns with Nigeria’s broader goal of achieving universal electricity access by 2030, a critical step for unlocking economic growth and fostering sustainable development across the continent. Adelabu emphasized the need for strategic partnerships to transform the energy compact into tangible outcomes, addressing longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s power sector, including market liquidity issues, a N4 trillion debt to power generation companies due to unpaid subsidies, and outdated infrastructure.
To tackle these hurdles, the government is advancing multiple initiatives. The Presidential Metering Initiative and the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP) are enhancing distribution networks, while efforts to expand transmission infrastructure and stabilize the national grid are underway. Adelabu highlighted progress made in the first phase of the Mission 300 Compact, which includes constructing five new substations across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, bringing electricity access to over 150 million people, with 86 million still unserved.
The initiative builds on the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, signed in January 2025 by President Bola Tinubu and 11 other African leaders. The declaration commits to increasing electricity access by 4–9% annually and clean cooking access from 22% to 25% per year. The World Bank Group, led by President Ajay Banga, has pledged support to electrify 300 million Africans, reinforcing the global commitment to halving Africa’s energy access gap.
This push for energy access comes alongside other developments in Nigeria’s energy sector, such as the recent commissioning of the 180MW Afam II Power Plant by Sahara Power Group and Crescendough, boosting the nation’s power supply. As Nigeria seeks to overcome financial and infrastructural barriers, the Mission 300 Compact represents a bold step toward sustainable energy solutions, with potential to transform lives and economies across Africa.
