By Mary Mwendwa
Nairobi, Kenya: African and global institutions together with governments of Germany, France, and Japan and philanthropies have pledged over $175 million to the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA). The landmark initial pledge will help to rapidly scale up financing for transformative climate-aligned infrastructure projects across the continent.
This deal was struck in a powerful signal of support during COP28.
The new pledges will also advance AGIA towards its first close of $500 million of early-stage project preparation and development blended capital. The Alliance is a partnership of the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, Africa50 and other partners. It works to unlock up to $10 billion in private capital for green infrastructure projects and to galvanise global action to accelerate Africa’s just and equitable transition to Net-Zero.
Among the signatories of the memorandum of intent were representatives of the African Development Bank, Africa50, France, Germany, Japan, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Banque Ouest-Africaine de Développement (BOAD), Proparco and the Three Cairns Group.
The Union of the Comoros President and Chairperson of the African Union Azali Assoumani, Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina, and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat witnessed the signing ceremony.
Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mrs Svenja Schulze, said, “Germany is very pleased to join the launch of the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa. We congratulate the African Development Bank on this important Africa-led initiative and want to highlight AGIA’s commitment to the 1.5 °C target and its dedication to accelerate Net-Zero emissions in Africa.”
She added, “Today marks an important step towards our shared goal of a just and equitable green transition in Africa. Supporting the commitment towards green infrastructure, we are planning to contribute up to €26 million to AGIA starting in 2024.”
Tomoyoshi Yahagi, Japan’s Deputy Vice-Minister of Finance, said, “As part of the pledge made by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday, Japan will provide US$10 million to AGIA to support Africa in undergoing a just and equitable transition to Net-Zero and achieving the 1.5 °C pathway. We encourage other donors to contribute to this important initiative.”
Emmanuel Moulin, Director General of the French Treasury, said, “By addressing the gap in funding green infrastructure project preparation and development, AGIA will play an instrumental role in Africa’s transition to Net-Zero. Directing concessional resources to such an initiative is in line with France’s vision and solidarity policy for sustainable investment in Africa. This is why we have supported AGIA since inception and we are glad that the Summit on a New Global Financing Pact further raised momentum for the initiative. We are therefore delighted to announce a contribution of €20 million to AGIA and we hope that our contribution will catalyse more private and concessional resources.”
African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi Adesina said: “We need private sector financing at scale to tackle climate change and fill Africa’s huge infrastructure gap in a sustainable and climate-resilient manner. By working together and pooling our resources together through AGIA, we are committed to accelerating these efforts. The Bank Group plans to contribute up to $40 million, after approval from its Board of Directors.”
Similarly, Sidi Ould Tah, President of BADEA said, “We have pledged $40 million to support AGIA. We are glad to be part of this vital partnership, aiming at enabling transformational green infrastructure projects in Africa, and accelerating the continent’s transition to Net-Zero in a sustainable manner.”
Alain Ebobissé, Africa50 CEO, said: “AGIA is set to become Africa’s largest fund focused on project development, which is a critical component to scale up the delivery of bankable green projects and help the continent achieve its climate goals. This initial fundraising round which includes strong African and international organisations is a great sign of investor confidence in AGIA. We are pleased to be part of this landmark initiative.” Africa50 is the fund manager for AGIA.
Serge Ekué, President of BOAD: “As part of our 2021–2025 Djoliba strategic plan, we have committed that about 25% of our new financing will be aimed at strengthening the resilience of our member countries to climate change. Our interest in AGIA reflects this ambition and will be in line with our strategic approach of mobilizing increased climate resources in our region.”
Françoise Lombard, CEO of Proparco noted that her company alongside the French government, “is proud to support AGIA, an initiative aiming to unlock Africa’s potential for green infrastructure by targeting one of its main constraints: the lack of existing bankable projects in this area. The innovative blended structure of the initiative will allow AGIA to mobilize and channel public and private resources toward project preparation and development, the riskier stages of any infrastructure project. In addition, With AGIA, we are one step closer to bridging the infrastructure gap in Africa and one step further towards Net-Zero.”
Mark Gallogly, the co-founder of the Three Cairns Group, “We support AGIA’s mission to catalyze economic development and green infrastructure in Africa. More risk-tolerant, early-stage equity is essential to increase the number of clean energy and climate-related projects across the continent. We commend Africa50 for leading this initiative.”
AGIA was launched a year ago at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, by the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, and Africa50, and other partners.
