Mission 300
This is a World Bank important document that has to do with powering Sub-Saharan Africa. It is about a 5000-word stuff. We cannot take it all, but will substantially do so over the next couple of weeks knowing how important the subject of power is to growth of business in Africa. It came in a podcast. It is calling for the comments of readers.
Transcript
[00:00] Lindelwa Mtongana: This is The Development Podcast from the World Bank Group. I’m Lindy Mtongana. Welcome. In this month’s episode, Powering Africa, how the continent’s economic growth can be supercharged through energy access. With hundreds of millions of African households and businesses still not connected to reliable power, we’re asking why affordable and sustainable energy is so crucial for the dynamic young continent and how it can be achieved. We’re taking a closer look at Mission 300, an ambitious plan from the World Bank Group and partners, which will link 300 million people to electricity by 2030. We travel to the Tanzanian Spice Islands of Zanzibar and hear the daily struggles of one female entrepreneur when it comes to powering her business.
Klaartje Schnade: So, there have been instances where we actually work at night in order to be able to complete orders or more electricity-intense processes.
Lindelwa Mtongana: We’ll hear from the World Bank Group about what will be needed to implement this initiative.
Victoria Kwakwa: Mission 300 is really about partnership. We can’t do it alone. Government can’t do it alone. The private sector can’t do it alone.
Lindelwa Mtongana: And we’ll hear from one leading voice in the private sector, AXIAN Group.
Hassanein Hiridjee: This is a real change. We’re walking the talk, and we’re making impact and positive change.
Lindelwa Mtongana: All that and more on The Development Podcast from the World Bank Group. Hello, everyone. As you’ve just heard, we have a lot to squeeze into this episode. But before we do that, I’d just like to thank our past host and introduce myself. I’m Lindy Mtongana, a journalist and news anchor by trade, now based at IFC. As you probably know, it is the part of the World Bank Group focused on working with the private sector. I’m excited to be at the helm of The Development Podcast and look forward to us getting to know each other better.
Let’s get back to our discussion for today on power. Many of us take turning on a light switch or connecting our devices to a home Wi-Fi network for granted. If our phones need charging, we plug them in. If we want hot water, we boil the kettle. These are things we don’t often think about, because we don’t have to. But around 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still live without access to electricity, and that 600 million represents about 83% of the world’s population with no electricity access. A lack of reliable electricity, blackouts, intermittent power, or no power at all are not just inconveniences, they are holding back Africa’s economic progress. Doing homework by torchlight or having to skip it hampers education. Businesses cannot function reliably. Vaccines can’t be stored. Food cannot be refrigerated. Schools and hospitals cannot provide essential services. Relying on diesel generators is not a long-term solution, and these have a big impact on the planet. The World Bank Group announced last year that it would partner with the African Development Bank and others to tackle these very problems. The partnership created an ambitious plan to bring electricity to 300 million people by 2030.
[03:33] Lindelwa Mtongana: And moving forward with that plan was the focus of the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, a recent gathering of leaders, partners, and the private sector in Tanzania. Now there, heads of state committed to concrete energy reforms. 12 African countries launched detailed action plans to scale up energy access, and partners pledged more than $50 billion in support of energy transformation in Africa. Here’s Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Samia Suluhu Hassan: The Dar es Salaam Declaration, which we have just adopted, moves us closer to the realization of a longer envisioned accord by the founders of our independent African states, who yearned for Africa’s second liberation, and that’s economic liberation. You’ll agree with me that Africa cannot realize economic growth and development aspirations without ensuring access to energy for its people. So, congratulations once again for making history here in Dar es Salaam.
Lindelwa Mtongana: Also speaking in Dar es Salaam, the World Bank Group President, Ajay Banga, had this to say.
Ajay Banga: Over the past year, we’ve worked alongside leaders of your countries to develop country-specific plans. These are rooted in data, they’re endorsed at the highest levels by you, and they’re aligned with very clear goals of reform. These plans focus on affordable power generation, on expanding connections, and on regional integration, and regional electrical markets. They aim to boost the efficiency of utilities, they aim to attract private investment, and the idea is deliver reliable, sustainable electricity.
To be continued next week Thursday.
