The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and The Rockefeller Foundation today announced nearly two dozen new energy access projects in 11 African countries and across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), funded through an initial US$10 million commitment to the Mission 300 Technical Assistance Facility (TA Facility). This initiative aims to accelerate the World Bank Group and African Development Bank’s ambitious goal of providing improved electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
“The Rockefeller Foundation created the Mission 300 Accelerator to demonstrate how philanthropy can break through bureaucratic obstacles and jumpstart World Bank and African Development Bank energy projects,” said Andrew Herscowitz, CEO of the Mission 300 Accelerator. “In just a few short months, we have worked with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Sustainable Energy for All, and the banks to advance two dozen projects, putting us on track to bring reliable electricity to 300 million people across Africa at unprecedented speed.”
“We are delighted to have made significant strides on a series of impactful projects that GEAPP and The Rockefeller Foundation are developing with strategic partners across Africa,” said Woochong Um, CEO at GEAPP. “The design and preparation of these initiatives are advancing an Africa-led mission that unlocks power where it is needed most. By improving local skills, capacity, and implementation efforts, GEAPP supports African governments, institutional partners, and businesses with new financial tools and bankable projects that boost cooperation and innovation and fuel sustainable growth for communities across the continent.” In addition to GEAPP’s support for the Accelerator’s new investments, the Alliance, which has 63 projects in more than 20 African countries, is already working intensively with the AfDB and World Bank to design and accelerate electrification efforts in several African markets.
Currently, Africa has an average electrification rate of 50% and is home to approximately 600 million people without access to reliable electricity. Co-housed within GEAPP and RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC), The Rockefeller Foundation’s public charity launched in 2020 to pool and align resources, the Accelerator is designed to swiftly deploy philanthropic capital for TA across sub-Saharan Africa.
