By Alfred Zacharia
Ajay Banga, the President of the World Bank Group (WBG), has arrived in Tanzania to participate in the African Heads of State Summit on Energy, dubbed "Mission 300."
The summit will take place from January 27 to 28, 2025, at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre in Dar es Salaam.
Upon arrival at Julius Nyerere Internataional Airport, Mr. Banga was welcomed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Cosato Chumi, on behalf of the Minister, Dr. Natu Mwamba.
Also present were Tanzania's Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Elsie Kanza, World Bank Country Representative Mr. Nathan Belete, and other senior government officials.
The summit aims to bring together African Heads of State and key stakeholders from the energy and finance sectors to discuss strategies for providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy to 300 million people across Africa by 2030.
The World Bank has been an essential partner in supporting energy access projects across Tanzania and the African continent.
The bank’s involvement includes financing national grid expansion, renewable energy development, mini-grids, policy support, and encouraging private sector participation in the energy sector—especially targeting communities that are yet to be connected to energy services.
Alongside Mr. Banga, other prominent leaders attending the summit include Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The summit is expected to endorse and sign the Africa Energy Compact, the first phase of the National Energy Compacts for 2025-2030, and the Dar es Salaam Declaration on the African Heads of State Energy Summit.
This declaration will include 14 countries: Tanzania, DRC, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Chad, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zambia.
Tanzania is among the top-performing nations in Africa's energy sector. By December 2024, electricity production in mainland Tanzania had reached 3,169.20 MW, up from 14% in 2011 to 78.4% in 2020.
Through the Rural Electrification Programme (REA), nearly all of the country’s villages are now connected to electricity services.
