The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and the World Bank Group have announced a new partnership aimed at accelerating the productive use of energy across Africa through the establishment of a regional Center of Excellence in Nairobi.
The new Center will focus on helping African countries maximize the economic benefits of electrification by linking electricity access to sectors such as agriculture, small businesses, healthcare and education. The initiative seeks to ensure that electricity access translates into higher incomes, job creation and stronger local economies.
The partnership comes at a time when Africa continues to make progress in expanding electricity access, although hundreds of millions of people across the continent still remain without power.
The initiative aligns with Mission 300, a program led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Sustainable Energy for All and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.
Mission 300 aims to connect an additional 300 million people to electricity by 2030, with more than 45 million already connected since July 2023.
Dana Rysankova, Lead Energy Specialist at the World Bank Group, said the new Center would play a critical role in helping countries unlock the full potential of electrification.
“This new Center of Excellence will be instrumental in helping countries unleash the full promise of Mission 300,” said Rysankova. “Greater promotion and adoption of productive uses of energy will complement household connections to lift people out of energy poverty, improve livelihoods, and create economic opportunities and jobs.”
Despite growing electricity access, many communities continue to use power mainly for basic needs such as lighting and phone charging.
Stakeholders note that without stronger integration between electrification and productive sectors, energy demand remains low, infrastructure underutilized and project costs high, limiting large-scale investment opportunities.
The new Center will therefore work to bridge existing gaps by supporting governments and development partners to integrate productive use of energy into national electrification plans and implementation strategies. The initiative will also strengthen coordination among public and private sector players to help scale energy-driven economic activities across multiple countries.
Makena Ireri, Managing Director of Powering Opportunity at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, emphasized the importance of ensuring energy access directly improves livelihoods.
“Expanding access to electricity is only the beginning. What matters is what that energy makes possible in people’s lives,” said Ireri. “When a farmer can process and store crops, or a small business can power equipment and grow, energy access becomes economic opportunity.”
Under the partnership, the Center will provide technical assistance, knowledge sharing, coordination support and business development assistance to participating countries. It will also support implementation through Mission 300 National Energy Compacts and Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units across participating nations.
The initiative will focus on four key areas, including embedding technical expertise within National Energy Compacts, developing practical tools and data resources for policymakers and investors, strengthening coordination across funding and investment programs, and improving access to finance and market opportunities for businesses.
Through the program, the partners aim to strengthen national initiatives targeting smallholder farmers, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and underserved communities across more than 20 African countries. The partnership is also expected to generate open-access knowledge resources, strengthen market linkages and build institutional capacity to ensure electrification delivers measurable economic outcomes across the continent.
