REPORTS

This policy brief offers a timely and strategic analysis of how four Central African countries — Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo — are translating the Mission 300 agenda into concrete national energy commitments. Structured around the initiative’s five pillars, the brief examines how these countries plan to expand cost-efficient generation, develop regional electricity trade, accelerate last-mile electrification and clean cooking, mobilize private investment, and strengthen utility performance and financial sustainability.

At the heart of the brief is a clear message: Central Africa possesses exceptional hydropower and solar resources, but this potential must be converted into reliable infrastructure, financially viable utilities, and bankable projects. The four countries have set ambitious 2030 electricity-access targets, ranging from 62% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 100% in Cameroon, while pursuing hydropower-led systems increasingly diversified by solar. Yet the brief stresses that sequencing will be critical. In Chad and the Republic of the Congo in particular, system stabilization, rehabilitation of existing assets, loss reduction, and utility reform must accompany—or precede—large-scale generation expansion. Regional integration also remains at an early stage, making the Cameroon–Chad interconnector and the development of the Central African Power Pool important tests of the region’s ability to establish meaningful cross-border trade.

For policymakers, investors, development partners, and energy-sector practitioners, the brief provides a concise but comprehensive roadmap of the region’s opportunities and implementation risks. It brings together electricity-access and clean-cooking targets, more than USD 60 billion in identified investment needs through 2030, private-financing requirements ranging from 33% to approximately 72% across the four countries, and the regulatory, tariff, procurement, and utility reforms needed to attract capital. Ultimately, the brief shows that Central Africa’s energy transformation will depend not only on its abundant natural resources, but also on credible project preparation, stronger institutions, financially sustainable utilities, and coordinated regional market development.