Sahara CEO Adesina Joins Mission 300 Council To Expand Africa’s Electricity Access

Chief Executive Officer of Sahara Group, Kola Adesina, has been appointed to the Mission 300 Private Sector Council, a strategic initiative aimed at expanding electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.

The council, convened by the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, and The Rockefeller Foundation, brings together top private sector leaders to mobilise investment and influence policy direction in Africa’s energy sector.

Adesina’s appointment highlights the increasing role of private capital in tackling one of Africa’s most significant barriers to economic growth limited access to reliable electricity. Currently, nearly half of the continent’s population lacks dependable power, a deficit that continues to constrain industrialisation, reduce productivity, and hinder digital innovation.

In a statement following his appointment, Adesina described his inclusion as an opportunity to advance collaborative solutions to Africa’s energy challenges. He emphasised that achieving large-scale electrification would require coordinated partnerships, sustained private sector investment, and a robust pipeline of bankable projects capable of translating policy into measurable impact.

Leveraging Sahara Group’s experience across energy and infrastructure, he noted that its subsidiary, Sahara Power Group, has played a key role in developing, financing, and operating power assets that support industrial growth and economic transformation across the continent.

“I am honoured to join the Mission 300 Private Sector Council… with a shared ambition: to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030,” Adesina said. “Closing this gap will require coordinated partnerships, sustained private investment, and a strong pipeline of bankable projects.”

Mission 300 is designed as a collaborative platform aligning governments, development finance institutions, and private sector players around a unified electrification goal. The initiative is expected to prioritise project development, regulatory coordination, and innovative financing models, particularly targeting underserved and off-grid communities.

The council’s efforts will be spearheaded by Makhtar Diop of the International Finance Corporation, which will play a central role in mobilising private investment and de-risking large-scale energy projects across Africa.

In a formal invitation signed by Valerie Levkov, Adesina was welcomed as a founding member of the council, tasked with helping to shape Africa’s electricity access agenda and unlock greater private sector participation across the continent.

The Mission 300 initiative marks a significant step toward closing Africa’s energy access gap, positioning public-private collaboration at the heart of efforts to deliver reliable and sustainable power at scale.

TNAM
Edited By Egwu Patience Nnennaya.