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As Mission 300 shifts from ambition to implementation, attention is turning to what it will take to deliver connections at speed and scale while ensuring quality, affordability, and lasting impact. For the off-grid solar sector, this means addressing the practical questions of standards, financing, subsidies, and execution on the ground.
Following Ignite Power’s acquisition of ENGIE Energy Access, GOGLA’s Executive Director, Sarah Malm, sat down with Yariv Cohen, CEO of the newly formed Ignite Energy Access, to discuss what delivery under Mission 300 looks like from a company operating across multiple African markets. Below are highlights from their conversation.
Sarah Malm (GOGLA): Mission 300 has created a lot of momentum, yet some governments may still question whether off-grid solutions “count” as real electricity. Are you hearing that?
Yariv Cohen (Ignite): Yes, absolutely, and the conversations usually go in two directions. First, governments want to work with scale. They know most connections will come from large platforms, so they want to engage with companies that can deliver big numbers, quickly and reliably.
The second part is more fundamental: we are there to serve governments. They set the standard. If the economics work, we execute. Whether it’s solar home systems, mini-grids, or productive use, we can deliver what they ask for.
“The question isn’t whether the private sector can deliver, it’s what the government wants to prioritize.”
Personally, I believe most of Mission 300 will be achieved through distributed solutions. That’s just reality. But if a government says, “We want 1,000 mini-grids,” we can do that. If they want irrigation for smallholder farming, or productive use, we can do that too. The question isn’t whether the private sector can deliver, it’s what the government wants to prioritize.
Sarah: One challenge we keep hearing, especially from ministries of finance, is that they want proof that these investments drive incomes, jobs, and economic growth. How do you respond to that?
Yariv: On productive use, the answer is very straightforward. We sell productive use systems to customers who increase their income by ten times what they pay us. That’s why we see 100% repayment rates. The value creation is obvious.
“We sell productive use systems to customers who increase their income by ten times what they pay us. The value creation is obvious.”
For solar home systems, it’s more nuanced, but the impact is real. We’ve done studies, including some with universities, showing increases in productivity even at the bottom of the pyramid. Farmers get more hours in the field. They can also do work at home. Even the smallest system creates economic activity.
And then there’s jobs. The sector employs tens of thousands of people directly: sales agents, technicians, installers, service teams. That impact is often overlooked, but it’s substantial.
“The sector employs tens of thousands of people directly: sales agents, technicians, installers, service teams. That impact is often overlooked, but it’s substantial.”
Sarah: That’s exactly why we try to bring CEOs like you into Mission 300 discussions. Policymakers need real examples from companies actually delivering on the ground. It’s easy to talk about targets from Washington or Addis, but this work happens village by village.
Yariv: I agree. And to be fair, the conversation has shifted. When we met recently with the World Bank and AfDB, the message from the private sector was clear: Mission 300 is ‘Mission Possible’. We can make it work. The technology exists. The supply chains exist. The distribution networks exist. The question now is about capital stacks, incentives, and risk-sharing. Once that’s clear, we can move fast.
“Mission 300 is ‘Mission Possible’. We can make it work.”
Sarah: That ‘Mission Possible’ framing is powerful. But it also raises tough questions about standards. What kind of access are we talking about? Twelve watts? Twenty? Fifty?
Yariv: That’s a policy choice. Any of those options have meaningful impact. In my view, the jump from zero watts to a basic system is far more transformative than the jump from a basic system to a very large one. If everyone could get 500 watts tomorrow, fantastic. But start with 12 or 20. Especially today, when connectivity—phones, digital services—is often just as important, or more, as lighting.
Sarah: Let’s talk about results-based financing (RBF) and subsidies. We’re often asked: what is the “right” level of subsidy? Uganda is a case people point to, where funds were depleted very quickly.
Yariv: The level of subsidy matters less than how it’s designed and enforced. Verification is critical. If there’s digital proof of installation, if there’s quality control, if there’s a real warranty—three or five years—that changes everything.
Geography matters, too. Installing near a capital city is very different from reaching a remote household that takes a full day to access. Speed matters as well: more capital means faster rollout.
What doesn’t work is poorly designed reverse auctions. If companies bid too low just to win and then can’t execute, you don’t get results. If you want auctions, you need completion guarantees. Mission 300 is about delivery, not announcements.
Sarah: Productive use is another area where we see slower progress, especially in RBF programs. Is that a design problem?
Yariv: Partly, but it’s also about maturity. Until recently, technologies like solar irrigation weren’t fully proven. Now they are, and uptake is accelerating.
Productive use is also more complex. Installing a solar home system takes half an hour. Installing irrigation takes a day, sometimes more, and often involves groups or cooperatives. That takes time. But the growth is exponential. Don’t judge it by today’s numbers; look at the trend.
Structurally, it should be part of the same Mission 300 framework, just with different allocations and verification. The bigger challenge is coordination across ministries. Energy enables agriculture, but they don’t always sit at the same table or understand advantages in the same way.
Sarah: Mission 300 is landing at a time when the sector is also correcting itself financially. What are you seeing in the market?
Yariv: A return to fundamentals. Some companies over-leveraged, raised money in the wrong parts of the capital stack, and focused more on fundraising than execution.
We built Ignite by growing step by step, working with local banks that understand our cash flows and markets, who are closer to the reality of the business, and that matters.
Mission 300 will reward companies that can execute sustainably, not those with the biggest press releases.
“Mission 300 will reward companies that can execute sustainably, not those with the biggest press releases.”
Sarah: So if you look ahead—five years, ten years—what does innovation under Mission 300 look like?
Yariv: Honestly, innovation now is about execution. The core technologies won’t change dramatically by 2030. Energy innovation cycles are long.
What will change is reach. We need deep networks that touch every village. Once those networks exist, they can deliver more products: appliances, irrigation, cooking, connectivity. But first, we have to build and maintain them.
And remember: Mission 300 isn’t the end. It’s half the target. There will be another Mission 300 after this one.
“Mission 300 isn’t the end. It’s half the target.”
Sarah: That’s a sobering but motivating way to end. From GOGLA’s side, we see Mission 300 as a chance to finally align governments, banks, and the private sector around what the DRE industry already does well.
Yariv: Exactly. Most of the external pieces are now in place. That means the responsibility is on us. Mission 300 is in our hands, and success will come down to execution, every single day.
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