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Energy News Network Industry news Solar Kong Solaire signs 20-year FMO financing for 50MWp of solar in northern Côte d’Ivoire
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Kong Solaire signs 20-year FMO financing for 50MWp of solar in northern Côte d’Ivoire

25th October, 2026

FMO is providing all the long-term debt for Kong Solaire, a 50MWp plant near Kong in northern Côte d’Ivoire developed by Africa Via, in which AXIAN holds a majority, and PIDG’s InfraCo. Construction is under way, with commissioning planned for 2028 and power sold to CI-ENERGIES for 25 years.

Work on Kong Solaire began with the Ivorian State in 2020, according to Minkaila Salami, chief executive of the developer Africa Via. Africa Via, an Ivorian company founded and led by local entrepreneurs, now owns the project company with InfraCo, the project development arm of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG).

The 50MWp plant near the town of Kong, in northern Côte d’Ivoire, was launched in October 2025 to help the country reach its target of 45% renewable energy by 2030. AXIAN, a pan-African group operating in 20 countries, holds 55% of Africa Via, which gives it an indirect stake of about 28% in Kong Solaire.

FMO, the Dutch development bank, has now signed to provide all of the project’s long-term financing. PIDG puts that financing at up to €55.5m with a 20-year tenor, and says it adapts conventional project finance structures for West African emerging markets. FMO’s own disclosure lists a separate loan for the transmission infrastructure, which transfers to the Government of Côte d’Ivoire on completion.

Construction is under way and should take about 18 months, with commissioning scheduled for 2028. CI-ENERGIES will buy the power under a 25-year power purchase agreement. PIDG expects about 96GWh a year to reach the national grid, enough for about 240,000 people, and about 54,000 tonnes of CO2 to be avoided each year.

FMO’s Director of Energy, Marnix Monsfort, called Kong Solaire “one of Côte d’Ivoire’s first privately developed utility-scale solar projects”, and Benjamin Memmi, chief executive of AXIAN’s energy division, said it “reflects Côte d’Ivoire’s ambitious renewable energy agenda, driven by the country’s authorities.”

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Charlotte Lamb
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