Malawi is set to benefit from a new US$3.9 million technical assistance programme funded by the African Development Bank as part of a broader initiative targeting improved electricity access across Africa.
The support places Malawi among 13 African countries selected under the Africa Energy Sector Technical Assistance Programme Mission 300 Phase II, a two-year project designed to translate national energy plans into tangible electricity connections. Other beneficiary countries include Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Namibia and Uganda.
According to the African Development Bank, the programme aims to move countries from policy commitments to implementation by supporting the rollout of electricity connections for households, schools, hospitals and businesses. The initiative forms part of Mission 300, a joint AfDB and World Bank effort seeking to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Under Phase II of the programme, the bank will focus on improving electricity regulations, planning frameworks and tariff systems to unlock private investment. It will also support the strengthening of power utilities to reduce technical and commercial losses while improving reliability. In addition, expert advisers will be embedded within national Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units to coordinate reforms and track progress.
AfDB Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, Wale Shonibare, said the programme is intended to ensure that commitments made under national energy compacts translate into real outcomes. He said the initiative would help countries implement reforms so that more households, entrepreneurs and communities gain access to electricity.
The latest phase follows the approval of Mission 300 Phase I in December 2025, which provided about $1 million to help countries establish and operationalise their Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units.
Energy policy expert Edgar Kapiza Bayani said Malawi has already developed key policy frameworks but faces resource constraints in achieving its electricity access targets. He noted that the country aims to raise electricity connection coverage to 70 percent by 2030 but requires significantly more funding to support generation capacity and off-grid solutions.
Bayani said the mini-grid sub-sector alone requires an estimated $1.1 billion to scale effectively, adding that while technical assistance is useful, Malawi needs more direct investment to accelerate electricity access. He expressed concern that achieving the 2030 target would be difficult without increased funding for generation and off-grid deployment.
Malawi is currently implementing the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation programme under Mission 300, supported by a $250.8 million World Bank grant signed in January 2025. The programme targets an increase in national electricity access from about 25 percent to 70 percent by 2030.
According to the Malawi National Energy Compact, meeting this target will require 1.15 million new on-grid connections, 1.55 million off-grid connections, and an expansion of installed generation capacity by 848 megawatts through a mix of energy technologies.
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