By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
The African Development Bank Group’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has secured nearly €50 million in new investment commitments to enhance the rollout of Mission 300 and accelerate climate action across Africa’s power sector.
The commitments, announced during a COP30 side event at the Africa Pavilion on November 14, were made by the governments of Germany and Italy.
Germany pledged €14 million to support SEFA’s universal energy access goal and an additional €30 million for SEFA’s green hydrogen program, stress the strategic importance of this sector for Africa’s decarbonization and industrial development. Italy also announced a contribution of €5 million to the fund.
Dr. Katharina Stasch, Director-General for Climate Policy at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), stated, “We see the Africa-owned and Africa-led African Development Bank as an excellent partner in unlocking the potential of a green hydrogen economy for African countries.”
“By working together, we can create a ‘win-win’: partner countries benefit from new energy resources, industrial development, technology transfer, and new jobs, while Europe diversifies its future energy imports. Through our partnership with the African Development Bank and SEFA, we hope to create positive tipping points for the market ramp-up of green hydrogen.”
Roberto Amerise, Director for General Affairs, Financial Programmes, and International Cooperation at Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), underscored Italy’s commitment to Africa as a priority in national energy and climate policies. He stressed the importance of encouraging private investment to accelerate the continent’s energy transition and sustainable development. Amerise announced an additional €5 million contribution to the SEFA Special Fund for 2025.
“These resources reaffirm our collective commitment to advancing SEFA’s strategic objectives and accelerating the implementation of renewable energy and energy access projects in Africa that drive sustainable development,” he said.
Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice-President for Power, Energy, Climate Change, and Green Growth at AfDB, remarked that the commitments from Germany and Italy reaffirm the urgent need for a unified approach to Africa’s energy transition, resilience, and security. “These commitments will provide momentum for Mission 300 goals and strengthen SEFA’s role in Africa’s universal energy access journey,” he said.
The event, moderated by Dr. Daniel Schroth, the Bank’s Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, also highlighted the ongoing support from partners like Norway. Hans Olav Ibrekk, Special Envoy for Climate, reiterated Norway’s commitment to mobilizing private sector investments for Mission 300.
A central theme was the crucial role of blended finance in de-risking investments and attracting commercial capital to achieve Mission 300 goals. Attendees learned about projects such as the landmark Obelisk facility in Egypt—a 1 GW solar PV and 200 MWh battery energy storage system co-financed by AfDB and SEFA, presented by Terje Pilskog, CEO of Scatec.
The discussions featured the work of BURN, a successful African clean cooking company and SEFA grant recipient. Caroline Amollo, BURN’s Director of Corporate Affairs, showcased how innovative models are effectively driving affordability and widespread adoption in the sector.
Speakers stressed the importance of predictable and attractive regulatory frameworks to attract private capital for an equitable energy transition, focusing on bankable, scalable, and human-centered projects, especially in clean cooking.
They also stressed the need to leverage declining renewable energy costs through efficient development funding deployment. The event reinforced a collective commitment to integrating energy transition cooperation within broader climate diplomacy, showing that with concerted effort, the goals of Mission 300 and the broader climate ambitions articulated at COP30 are attainable.
