The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $3.9 million technical assistance project to help Nigeria and twelve other African nations translate their national energy plans into concrete electricity connections.
The two-year initiative, known as AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II, is designed to provide hands-on support for implementing reforms under the broader Mission 300 program, which aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Okay News reports that the project will move countries from policy commitments to practical delivery by embedding expert advisers within government units to help coordinate reforms and track progress.
AfDB Director Wale Shonibare stated that the focus is on ensuring households, entrepreneurs, and communities actually gain access to electricity by turning bold national commitments into real outcomes.
The beneficiary countries for this phase of technical support are Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, and Uganda.
The assistance will specifically help governments improve electricity regulations, planning frameworks, and tariff structures to unlock private investment while strengthening utilities to deliver more reliable power.
This Phase II approval builds directly on a previous Phase I intervention, approved in December 2025, which provided about $1 million to help countries establish Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units within their governments.
The new phase shifts focus from planning to implementing priority regulatory and governance reforms committed to under National Energy Compacts. Mission 300 is a continent-wide political compact endorsed by 48 African Heads of State and operationalized through these country-owned plans.
The AfDB and the World Bank Group co-lead the Mission 300 initiative, with the World Bank aiming to connect 250 million people and the AfDB a further 50 million by 2030. The newly approved project will be implemented in coordination with these and other partners to ensure alignment and avoid duplication of efforts. This technical assistance is part of the AfDB’s continued scaling of financial support for Nigeria and the wider African region’s energy sector.
 has approved a $3.9 million technical assistance project to help Nigeria and twelve other African nations translate their national energy plans into concrete electricity connections.){kind=link}