Nigeria, Tanzania and Ethiopia have emerged as the top performers in a World Bank-backed initiative to expand electricity access across Africa, helping connect more than 50 million people to power between July 2023 and April 2026.

According to the latest Mission 300 Progress Report, Tanzania led the continent with 7.5 million new electricity connections, followed by Ethiopia with about 4.7 million and Nigeria with 4.5 million. Nigeria’s progress was driven mainly by renewable energy and off-grid electrification projects.

The report said the programme has supported 85 electricity projects across 40 African countries, providing electricity to homes, schools, health facilities and businesses. It also noted that nearly 600 million people in Africa still lack access to electricity.

The Mission 300 initiative aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030 through investments in grid expansion, mini-grids and renewable energy solutions. While several countries have recorded significant progress, eight countries are yet to register any new electricity connections under the programme because their projects are still in the early stages of implementation.