The Mission 300 Fellowship program will place young African professionals into government line ministries or in the President/Prime Minister’s office in support of Mission 300 (M300) - a World Bank Group and Africa Development Bank led effort to electrify 300 million African by 2030 that is supported by , the Rockefeller Foundation, RF Catalytic Capital, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) (the “Mission 300 Partners”).

The Mission 300 Fellowship program is inspired by the ODI Fellowship Scheme, which has demonstrated the value of embedding skilled professionals in public institutions for long-term institutional strengthening. The Mission 300 fellowship program will aim to place professionals in Mission 300 Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units (CDMUs), generally hosted by senior African government entities, including the offices of the Presidency or Prime Minister or in energy or finance ministries. Fellows will work alongside their host government colleagues and Mission 300 partners to help them achieve the goals set forth in the country’s Mission 300 National Energy Compact, providing support to the CDMU and its staff and helping design tailored, context-specific solutions to energy challenges, ensuring sustainable, long-term impact.

Mission 300 draws from the lessons of the ODI Fellowship Scheme, which has a 60-year track record of fostering mutual learning and trust between Fellows and host institutions. This model has helped overcome barriers often faced by donor-funded advisors, who may lack the deep trust and access that embedded professionals enjoy. Through this direct integration into the civil service, Mission 300 Fellows will have greater influence in shaping energy and finance policies and strategies that align with the realities of government institutions. By fostering greater political intelligence and sensitivity to the needs of the host institutions, the Mission 300 Fellowship Program aims to create a cadre of professionals dedicated to advancing Africa’s energy sector, much like the ODI Fellowship Scheme’s legacy of impactful change.

Thus far twelve African countries officially presented their National Energy Compacts at the recent Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit.  We expect many more to follow. In their National Energy Compacts, each country identifies specific policy and regulatory measures to address constraints across the energy sector and sets its own targets based on its unique context. The National Energy Compacts are fully government-owned. Countries are encouraged to hold public consultations with the private sector, development partners, civil society and other relevant stakeholders to inform the development of the Compacts.

The National Energy Compacts set ambitious targets with timelines for implementation to:

1.     Expand energy infrastructure at competitive costs;

2.     Leverage the benefits of regional power integration;

3.     Embrace distributed renewable energy and clean cooking solutions as critical elements of the access agenda;

4.     Foster greater private sector participation to unlock additional resources, and;

5.     Strengthen power utilities.

Countries which have already launched National Energy Compacts at the Africa Energy Summit include:

·       Chad

·       Cote D'Ivoire

·       Democratic Republic of the Congo

·       Liberia

·       Madagascar

·       Malawi

·       Mauritania

·       Niger

·       Nigeria

·       Senegal

·       Tanzania

·       Zambia

Additionally, up to 20 more countries are likely to launch compacts this year.