What will it take to bring electricity to 300 million people in Africa who currently live without it? This is the goal we’ve set for Mission 300—to halve the number of people on the continent without reliable electricity by 2030. But setting a goal is just the spark. We need a full-blown power surge of bold reforms, investments, and an enabling environment for sustainable, scalable, and affordable energy solutions.
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As we welcome 2025 and close the first quarter of the 21st century, it is a moment for reflection. We find ourselves at a pivotal midpoint—five years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and five years away from the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, food and nutrition insecurity remain pressing global challenges. Many countries continue to grapple with recurring crises fueled by climate change, high food prices, and conflict, all of which undermine access to the healthy, nutritious food that people need to thrive.
A rural health center in Mateliona Betafo, Madagascar, has transformed healthcare delivery with solar-powered electricity through the World Bank-supported LEAD Project. For nearly seven years, midwives like Lovatiana Rasoarinjanahary worked under unsafe, dim conditions, relying on candles or dying phone batteries. Since June 2024, the center – one of 500 electrified by LEAD – now provides safe, well-lit care, benefiting vulnerable populations. The project improves lighting, refrigeration, and sterilization, enhancing maternal and child healthcare while supporting Madagascar’s goal to double electricity access through cost-effective, off-grid solutions. Lives and communities are brighter and safer with this innovation.
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As the 21st century dawned, world leaders were in a confident mood. They resolved to make “the right to development a reality for everyone” and free “the entire human race from want.” Fifteen years later, buoyed by the initial burst of progress, they set a tight deadline: “We resolve, between now and 2030, to end poverty and hunger everywhere.”
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Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development. Emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the 21st century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies feeble catch-up toward those of advanced economies. Most low-income countries are not on course to graduate to middle-income status by 2050. Policy action at the global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.
For many of us, the simple act of flipping a switch to light up our homes or power our devices are taken for granted. Electricity fuels modern progress—it powers hospitals and schools, enables businesses, and connects us to the world.
Over the past decade, internet access in low- and middle-income countries has surged, with 62% of the population online by 2022 (The World Bank). This growing connectivity has led governments, researchers, and development organizations to turn to social media for spreading important health messages. However, social media algorithms tend to prioritize the most active users, making it unclear whether campaigns reach and impact those who need them most—such as individuals at high risk of contracting malaria.
Did you know that in Sub-Saharan Africa, students spend an average of six years in school but leave with only three years’ worth of learning? The learning gap is stark, but artificial intelligence (AI) is rising to the challenge. In Kenya, innovators have created Somanasi (“Learn with me”), an AI-powered chatbot designed to help bridge this divide. By providing real-time, tailored responses to student questions, gamifying lessons, and promoting collaborative learning, this resource helps students better understand and retain the school curriculum, empowering them to make the most of their time in school and narrow the learning deficit.
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Netherlands for the World Bank 
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