World Bank, AFDB partner to widen electricity supply in Africa

…targets 300m people by 2030

THE World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group (AFDB) are partnering on an ambitious effort to provide at least 300 million people in Africa with electricity by 2030.

This aims to reduce the number of people without electricity on the continent to half.

According to the partners, the World Bank Group would work to connect 250 million people to electricity through distributed renewable energy systems or the distribution grid while the AFDB Group would support an additional 50 million people.

Access to electricity is a fundamental human right and is foundational to any successful development effort. Currently, 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, creating significant barriers to health care, education, productivity, digital inclusivity, and ultimately job creation.

Speaking during a panel session at an event tagged “Powering Africa”, with the theme, “Energising Africa: What will it take to accelerate access and improve lives”, in Washington” on Wednesday, Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank Group, said, “Electricity access is the bedrock of all development. It is a critical ingredient for economic growth and essential for job creation at scale.

“Our aspiration will only be realised with partnership and ambition. We will need policy action from governments, financing from multilateral development banks, and private sector investment to see this through,”

Banga said the partnership was a demonstration of the determination of the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group to be bolder, bigger, and better in tackling one of the most pressing challenges in Africa.

The initiative is the most recent manifestation of the World Bank Group’s commitment to become more impact-oriented and is the by-product of a concerted work plan to build a better bank. It is aided by a constellation of regional energy programs that will now be aligned toward this common goal, he added.

For the World Bank Group to connect 250 million people, $30 billion of public sector investment will be needed, of which IDA, the World Bank’s concessional arm for low-income countries, will be critical. In addition, governments will need to put in place policies to attract private investments, and reform their utilities so they are financially sound and efficient with tariff mechanisms that protect the poor.

Connecting 250 million people to electricity would open private sector investment opportunities in distributed renewable energy alone worth $9 billion. Beyond that, there would be substantial opportunities for private investments in grid-connected renewable energy needed to power economies for growth.