Firms or Families? Another installment in the Mission 300 electrification debate

On the politics and logics of policy tradeoffs

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I: Policymaking is fundamentally about balancing tradeoffs and setting clear goals, but can African policymakers have it all when it comes to electrification?

I love well-reasoned policy debates. Which is why I’m delighted that the debate on whether African policymakers should prioritize electrifying households or firms as part of Mission 300 goes on. Moussa Blimpo, an economist at Toronto University, crystallized the contours of the debate on the Afronomics podcast with the World Bank’s Africa Region Chief EconomistAndrew Debalen. Blimpo was squarely on team Prioritize Firms. Todd Moss over at Eat More Electrons, yours truly, and David Pilling in the Financial Times followed up with supportive responses.

Wale Aboyade, of Sun King Inc., then wrote a very thoughtful rejoinder, making a strong case for the …