What:Mobilising Commercial Capital for Renewable Energy and Energy Access in Africa
Who: African Development Bank Group and the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA)
When: November 14, 2025, 11:30 – 13:00 BRT (Brazil Time, GMT-3)
Where: Africa Pavilion, Blue Zone, B54, COP30, Belém, Brazil and online
The African Development Bank Group and the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) are organising a side event at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on November 14 2025, entitled “Mobilising Commercial Capital for Renewable Energy and Energy Access in Africa”. This session is dedicated to accelerating private investment in Africa’s renewable energy and energy access sector.
The event will explore strategies for increasing private investment in renewable energy and energy access markets across Africa. It will respond to the COP30 call for scaling up climate finance mobilisation, promoting technology transfer and capacity building, and ensuring equitable access to clean energy solutions for all developing regions.
High-level speakers from SEFA Donors, African governments, private sector leaders, and international partners will participate, offering insights into overcoming barriers and leveraging innovative financing and blended finance models to unlock Africa’s immense renewable energy potential.
Key topics to be discussed include:
- New Commitments: announcements of new commitments to SEFA from key partners, including Germany and Italy.
- Mission 300 and SEFA’s Impact: in-depth look at SEFA’s role in supporting the delivery of the flagship Mission 300 initiative by the African Development Bank Group, the World Bank Group, and other partners, which aims to provide electricity to 300 million people in Africa by 2030. The session will highlight SEFA’s role as a catalytic financing platform in delivering on this mission.
- Mobilising Commercial Capital: strategies to accelerate private finance flows and concrete pathways for mobilising commercial investment into Africa’s diverse renewable energy and energy access markets.
- Africa’s Green Hydrogen Ambition: exploring the role and transformation potential of green hydrogen for Africa, including how SEFA’s newly established Green Hydrogen Programme can help Africa seize this potential.
- Landmark Project Achievements: showcasing tangible successes in mobilising commercial capital, such as the recent financial close of the ‘Obelisk’ hybrid solar and battery storage project in Egypt. Cofinanced by the African Development Bank Group, including SEFA funding, this 1.1 GW solar and 100 MW/200 MWh battery storage facility exemplifies how innovative blended finance structures can de-risk large-scale projects and accelerate Africa’s energy transition.
- Partnerships & Dialogue: fostering collaboration among governments, development finance institutions, private investors, and civil society to accelerate sustainable energy solutions across Africa.
Media representatives are invited to attend the conference in person in the COP30 Blue Zone or click here to follow the event live.