Editor’s choice
Editor’s choice
Investing in renewable energy projects is crucial for achieving the SDGs and the Paris Agreement goals. Currently, Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the greatest need for additional energy to meet the demands of its growing economies and populations. For example, the IEA estimates that only in solar PV, the region would need 130GW installed by 2030 to meet the Sustainable Africa Scenario. At the average project size of the last three years, this would amount to more than one project being commissioned every day from now until 2030. By comparison, in 2023, only 8 solar PV projects reached financial close in all of Africa.
SEI’s Finance for Sustainable Development programme and the Swedish Mission gathered experts from UN entities, International Finance Institutions, Academia and the private sector to discuss the challenges and promising solutions to financing clean energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. The event aimed to explore the complexities of financing renewable energy projects in challenging settings characterized by high sovereign debt, inflation, political instability, and other risk factors, and to discuss the role of blended finance tools.
During the event, SEI researchers Daniel Duma and Miquel Munoz Cabré also presented findings from their research project The role of risk mitigation in renewable energy investments in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This event is by invitation only.
One-SEI program / Our mission is to help accelerate the allocation of capital to sustainable economic activities.
Project / This research project explores the effectiveness of financial risk mitigation in attracting private investment in renewable energy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Feature / SEI was invited to share research insights with the International Development Association and Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Media coverage / In a Daily Nation Opinion, SEI Researcher Cassilde Muhoza explains why Kenya’s expansion of renewable energy has not automatically translated into lower tariffs
Media coverage / Emily Ghosh and Derik Broekhoff spotlight Nigeria and South Africa's fossil fuel production plans in The Conversation, based on the 2025 Production Gap Report.
