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# [MADAGASCAR] Electrification: Sun King and the World Bank mobilize $300 million to connect millions of Malagasy people
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/madagascar-electrification-sun-king-et-la-banque-mondiale-mobilisent-300-millions-de-dollars-pour-brancher-des-millions-de-malgaches-en/
- Published: 2026-08-05T13:46:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-05T13:46:31.000Z
- Description: Madagascar, where only 36% of people have electricity access, sees the World Bank ($250M) and Sun King ($50M) join forces to achieve 80% electrification by 2030.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Madagascar, Investissement, Économie, Clôture, #en

**Madagascar stands at a historic energy crossroads.** With only **36% of its population having access to reliable electricity**, the island ranks among the world's least electrified countries. Two complementary programmes — one led by the World Bank, the other by American firm Sun King — are now joining forces: a combined total of **nearly $300 million** is being mobilised to connect millions of Malagasy people by 2030.

## The ASCENT programme: $250 million, 2.5 million beneficiaries

The World Bank launched the ASCENT programme, backed by **$250 million**, with a clear objective: to provide reliable and affordable electricity to **more than 2.5 million people by 2030**. In concrete terms: 200,000 new urban and peri-urban connections (approximately 1 million direct beneficiaries), 30 solar hybrid power plants with battery storage systems, and 312,500 new off-grid connections for an additional 1.5 million rural inhabitants. A further 1.5 million improved cookstoves will also be distributed — a measure with immediate health and environmental benefits.

ASCENT is the first Program for Results (PforR) implemented in Madagascar: disbursements are directly tied to measurable results on the ground, rather than contractual commitments alone.

## Sun King launches MBalik: $50 million and the pay-as-you-go model

Simultaneously, Sun King, one of the world's leading off-grid solar energy providers, has launched operations in Madagascar in partnership with Yas Madagascar for exclusive distribution under the **MBalik** brand. The company plans to invest up to **$50 million by 2030**, delivering **1.5 million new electrical connections**, reaching approximately **7.5 million Malagasy people** in rural areas and creating **1,000 jobs** over five years. The model is built on pay-as-you-go instalment payments, reducing entry costs for lower-income households — an approach that has proven effective in other African markets.

## Mission 300: the 80% target for 2030

Both initiatives fall within the framework of **Mission 300**, a joint World Bank and African Development Bank programme targeting universal electricity access for 300 million Africans by 2030\. Madagascar has committed, under this framework, to reaching **80% national electrification by 2030** — up from just 36% today. An ambitious goal, now backed by concrete financing and results-based mechanisms.

## Why it matters

Energy is the prerequisite for any industrialisation, for the competitiveness of local businesses, and for attracting foreign investment. Without reliable electricity, agro-food processing projects, textile factories and data centres simply cannot function. By mobilising $300 million, Madagascar is sending a clear signal to the regional business community: the island is ready to take its place in the Indian Ocean's race for economic emergence.

*Sources: World Bank / ASCENT Madagascar (press release May 2026), Madagascar News Room, World Bank Blog.*