TANZANIA is set to host the African energy summit later this month in Dar es Salaam, bringing together heads of government from across the continent and over 1500 executives from multilateral agencies, diplomats and the private sector.

Gerson Msigwa, the Information, Culture, Arts and Sports permanent secretary and chief government spokesman, said at a media workshop held in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the summit is slated for January 27–28.

It is expected to provide a platform for ground-breaking agreements aimed at revolutionizing energy access for 300m people across Africa by 2030, he stated.

Delegates are expected to adopt the Africa energy compact, a strategic framework for advancing sustainable and equitable access to energy, a roadmap for clean and inclusive energy development, he said.

Additionally, the summit will witness endorsement of the first phase of national energy compacts for 2025–2030, where 14 countries, including Tanzania, Nigeria, Zambia, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will unveil comprehensive plans to enhance energy access, reliability, and affordability.

The summit will also examine and approve what is billed as the Dar es Salaam Declaration, a statement embodying Africa’s collective vision for sustainable energy, he stated. 

The declaration will serve as a guide for boosting renewable energy adoption, improving infrastructure and achieving energy equity, he elaborated.

 “We are honoured to be at the center of these vital discussions, as this summit marks an important step towards ensuring access to electricity for 300m Africans by 2030,” he said, pointing at collaborative efforts with international partners like the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the African Union framework.

Summit delegates are expected to take a keen look at the development of renewable energy sources, expansion of electricity access across rural and urban areas, and the promotion of clean cooking energy to safeguard public health and protect the environment, the spokesman affirmed.

He stressed the significance of leadership in the matter by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, positioning Tanzania as a champion of clean cooking energy in Africa.

“President Samia’s diplomatic efforts have placed Tanzania at the forefront of Africa’s energy dialogue,’ he said, underlining 

Tanzania’s remarkable progress in rural electrification.

The quasi totality of villages are now connected to the grid and out of them, more than 32,000 hamlets are electrified. Such advancements have significantly improved health, education and economic outcomes, he stated.

Through the national clean cooking energy strategy, Tanzania is also committed to ensuring 80 percent of households have access to clean cooking solutions by 2034.

He appealed for media outlets to disseminate accurate information about the summit, stressing public awareness in achieving the summit’s objectives.

Innocent Luoga, the ministerial commissioner for electricity and renewable energy, said that Mission 300 Initiative is crucial to reducing Africa’s electricity access gap by expanding infrastructure in underserved areas.

 “Mission 300 is a transformative project that will be signed by 14 countries at the summit, a milestone in cross-border energy collaboration,” Luoga said.

Ambassador Noel Kaganda, the Foreign Affairs director of multilateral cooperation, highlighted Tanzania’s achievements in the energy sector. 

By December 2024, the country’s electricity generation capacity hadi reached 3,169.20 megawatts, while access to electricity has surged from 14 percent in 2011 to 78.4 percent late 2020, driven by the Rural Energy Agency (REA) connecting nearly all villages to the national grid.

“The summit presents an opportunity to showcase Tanzania’s progress in energy development and strengthen its global standing,” he asserted.