President Tinubu Reaffirms Nigeria’s Committment To Improved Electricity, As Two Day Africa Energy Summit Ends In Tanzania.

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has concluded his visit to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he joined other African leaders to participate in the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit.

The two-day Summit, hosted by the government of Tanzania in collaboration with the African Union, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the World Bank Group, adopted the Dar es Salaam Declaration.

The Declaration focused on providing access to electricity for 300 million people in Africa by 2030.

A high point of the event was the presidential endorsement of the Dar es Salaam Declaration by African leaders at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre.

Following the reading of the Declaration, leaders from Nigeria, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia signed the document.

The 12 nations plan to achieve the goal through National Energy Compacts, which identify specific policy measures to address constraints across their energy sector and set targets based on their unique context.

In the speech read by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, the Nigerian leader lauded the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank Group, and development partners for their collective pledge to bring electricity access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030.

President Tinubu called on African leaders to prioritise energy access, emphasising collective action.

“Let us work together to create a brighter future for our citizens—where every African can access reliable and affordable energy.

President Tinubu also used the occasion to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to its unelectrified population by 2030.

“As Nigeria’s President, I am committed to making energy access a top priority,” he said.

Detailing the substantial progress Nigeria has achieved with the support of international development partners, President Tinubu acknowledged AfDB’s $1.1 billion, expected to provide electricity for 5 million people by the end of 2026, while its $200 million in the Nigeria Electrification Project will provide electricity for 500,000 people by the end of 2025.

“We have equally begun making plans to ensure the effectiveness of the World Bank’s $750 million support for expanding Nigeria’s distributed energy access via mini-grids and standalone solar systems that will provide access to power to 16.2 million people,”

He also applauded the contributions of the UN Sustainable Energy For All, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Global Energy Alliance for Development.

“As we all know, Africa is rich in energy resources, yet millions of our citizens still lack access to reliable and affordable energy.

President Tinubu highlighted ongoing investments in renewable energy, particularly solar power in Nigeria.

“Nigeria’s energy sector is growing as a direct result of our reforms. The Nigerian government continues incentivising those interested in investing in renewable energy, oil and gas energy efficiency,” he said.

He said that buoyed by Nigeria’s successful attraction of over $6 billion in new investments into its energy sector in 2024 alone, his administration is keen to build on this success in 2025 and beyond.

At the Summit, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced that it has committed $70 million in private sector funding to five Nigerian Renewable Electricity Service Companies (RESCOs) under the Nigeria Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) programme.

Other reform actions include embracing distributed renewable energy and clean cooking solutions for affordable last-mile access and leveraging the benefits of increased regional integration.

According to the document, Nigeria will require an investment of $23.2 billion for last-mile electrification, including contributions from the public and private sectors.