PSI and its allies have warned that the African Development Bank’s Mission 300 is repeating the same private-sector model that left 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa without electricity. We are calling for stronger public utilities and public investment to deliver affordable electricity and avoid pushing more debt onto African governments.
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PSI organises energy sector unions across the globe with the goal of building solidarity, protecting workers’ rights and interests and strengthening public energy which is responsive to workers, communities and the environment.
We have serious concerns with the African Development Bank and World Bank “Mission 300” initiative which we believe will push countries deeper into debt, undermine the goal of alleviating energy poverty across the continent, push countries to privatise their energy utilities, and impose unhelpful cost recovery policies onto countries.
We have therefore issued a joint statement with ITUC-Africa and IndustriAll on the sidelines of the 2026 Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in May 2026, which rejects cost recovery measures and the marketization and privatisation of energy utilities.
Instead, PSI and allies are calling for
The de-marketization of power utilities in Africa, and the (re)building of these utilities as public utilities
The repeal of neoliberal privatisation laws
Public funding for energy that does push countries further into debt
Read the full statement in the attachment.