Electrifying African firms for growth and development

On the urgent need to rethink the core goals of Mission 300

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This is a follow up to earlier pieces that I wrote on development in an age of climate change; why (energy) poverty is not a viable climate strategy in the developing world; how to electrify African economies for growth and development, on the need to invest in growing the size and productivity of African firms, and why the World Bank and other IFIs should get serious about climate adaptation in low-income countries.

I: Electricity for economic growth and jobs

In ten years, what will we say about Mission 300 — the project that seeks to connect 300m Africans to electricity by 2030?

This question is motivated by this fantastic conversation between Moussa Blimpo (an Economist at Toronto University) and Andrew Debalen (Chief Economist for Africa region at the World Bank). I highly recommend following Debalen’s …