How Expanding Access to Electricity Creates Jobs

Over the next decade, some 1.2 billion young people in emerging economics are expected to enter the workforce, but only about 400 million job opportunities are projected to be available, according to World Bank President Ajay Banga. Closing that gap is one of the defining challenges of our time, and electricity access is central to meeting it.

The connection is not subtle: The five countries with the largest job gaps in Africa also have the most people without electricity, according to the World Bank’s Africa Pulse report. As Todd Moss, executive director of the Energy for Growth Hub, puts it plainly: “High-income, low-energy countries don’t exist.”

Mission 300, an initiative led by the World Bank Group and African Development Bank, aims to bring 300 million Africans access to electricity by 2030 with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All.

Even the most basic electricity — like the kind that small, standalone, solar home systems often provide — can be a lifeline for the hundreds of millions still relying on dirty kerosene to light their homes. But Mission 300’s ambition goes much further. The initiative is focused on expanding access to productive levels of electricity, the kind that powers industries, creates jobs, grows businesses, and drives lasting economic growth.

So what does that actually look like?

Training a workforce to build clean energy systems.

New Jobs in the Power Sector

Electrification starts with building out the grid itself, as well as off-grid solutions like mini-grids — and that requires workers. Yariv Cohen, the CEO of Ignite Energy Access, one of Africa’s largest mini-grid operators, envisions a solar industry that could train tens of millions of Africans by 2030.

His company trains around 30,000 agents across multiple countries every year — with more than 200,000 people trained to date — in sales, distribution, solar installation, after-sales service, and credit.

Equipping communities with skills for electrified agriculture.

As the World Bank Group and African Development Bank finance hard infrastructure like transmission lines, distribution networks, and new power generation, millions of construction, operations, and maintenance jobs will follow.

Frequently, we hear calls to start manufacturing power components, such as inverters, solar panels, and batteries, within Africa. While those types of jobs would be positive, there needs to be sufficient demand in the African market for this type of manufacturing to be commercially viable in a globally competitive market.

Jobs that Didn’t Exist Before

Some of the most exciting opportunities are entirely new categories of work — businesses that simply could not exist without electricity.

For example, in Djibouti, solar mini-grids are used to charge batteries for electric two-wheelers. And across Africa, bicycles are being retrofitted with batteries that double as power sources for grain mills.

The International Finance Corporation is working with a developer that has completed over 32 million battery rentals, bringing electricity to homes, businesses, and transport across the continent.

Beyond energy storage, electrification brings internet access to communities for the first time, unlocking an entirely new economy with businesses like internet cafes, and e-commerce.

Behind the scenes of reliable energy infrastructure.

Better, More Productive Jobs

Electricity doesn’t just create new jobs — it transforms existing ones.

Last year, I met with a vendor in a remote area of Zambia who was connected to a new mini-grid. She said that electrification increased her income, allowing her to sell cold drinks and making her shop a hub for the community. A farmer in the same community used an electric pump to water his fields in the midst of a drought, increasing his yields and his income. Other community members milled grain more efficiently and refrigerated produce so it wouldn’t spoil.

Showcasing solar technologies to support local communities.

In Kenya, farmers are reducing post-harvest loss from highs of 40% to under 5% by leveraging solar-powered cold rooms.

Access to electricity allows communities to engage in small-scale manufacturing, like canning tomatoes or packaging products, adding value to their products, creating additional jobs, and increasing incomes.

Layer in internet access and AI tools, and the gains multiply further. Farmers can diagnose issues with their crops in real time and verify they are receiving fair market prices. Local businesses can reach more customers.

And the biggest job creator is large-scale, globally competitive manufacturing. When you have low-cost power alongside an educated workforce, accessible raw materials, cross-border trade, inexpensive financing, and a predictable and investment-friendly climate, you’ll find industrial growth.

Propelling Africa Into Prosperity

We are barely scratching the surface of the jobs that Mission 300 will unlock. Although modeling a precise number for job creation is difficult, it’s clear when you add up all three categories that millions of people are going see their lives transformed. The principle is clear: No country can ever become a high-income country without widespread electricity.

The electrification from Mission 300, along with inexpensive financing and investment reforms, is laying the foundation for Africa’s next era of growth.