Finance

Multiple wind turbines set against a sunset sky
Finance

Kenya Seeks to Maximise Benefits from ‘Baseload’ Renewables

Kenya’s geothermal and hydropower resources have been major contributors to the country’s success in boosting electricity access rates, but can they play a major role in meeting surging energy demand in the future? Kenya has been one of Africa’s success stories in terms of progress towards the UN global Sustainable Development Goal of achieving universal […]
Finance

African Energy Data

Africa’s electricity supply industry gaining momentum despite crises and delays. In common with other industries, Africa’s power sector has suffered major challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in delays, cancelled projects, and new ways of working. Problems remain, but there are indications that some momentum is returning. 2021 marked a low point for new capacity […]
Finance

Keeping the Funds Flowing into Africa’s Offgrid Projects

Innovative financing solutions are helping investment to keep flowing into African offgrid renewables projects despite the difficult operating environment. Fresh funding for offgrid solar projects in Africa has been more costly and harder to come by in the last two years than it was prior to the Covid pandemic, but that doesn’t mean investors are […]
Finance

Funds in focus

Attracting institutional investors and pensions funds to Africa’s energy transition remains a challenge in a world in flux. But where there’s a will, there’s usually a way, explains Jackson Foley. The announcement of a new ‘African Energy Transition Bank’ in mid-May has highlighted the problems facing energy financing on the continent. The bank’s two backers, […]
Finance

Not by renewables alone

How do renewables stack up against traditional forms of energy in Africa? As Jackson Foley reports, it’s a shifting picture – but don’t count out coal just yet. “Africa is not a country” is the title of a new book seeking to correct foreigners’ views of the continent. Its author wants her international readers to see Africa just as its own peoples see it: huge, varied and facing many different circumstances. Anyone who works in the African energy sector knows this already. There are vast differences between the markets in Egypt and Equatorial Guinea or between Senegal and South Africa. There is no ‘one size fits all solution’ to the continent’s yawning electricity gaps.
Finance

William Kamkwamba To Discuss ‘Empowerment And Energy Access’ At The Youth Energy Summit (Yes!)

“Our vision is to empower 100,000 more ‘Williams’ by aef 2029 to close the gap between population growth and energy access.  The initiatives are there, the need is there, the entrepreneurs are everywhere and YES! is here to identify them and provide them the tools to succeed…” Harry Gibson, EnergyNet William will be joined by: •           Joseph […]
Finance

Expand And Diversify: Aiim Invests In Starsight’s Distributed Generation Solutions

AFRICAN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT MANAGERS (AIIM) DEVELOPS AND MANAGES PRIVATE EQUITY INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDS DESIGNED TO INVEST LONGTERM INSTITUTIONAL UNLISTED EQUITY IN AFRICAN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. Interview with Damilola Agbaje – AIIM Investment Director. AIIM actively manages investments in East, West and Southern Africa and has equity under management of USD 2.0 billion with a track record extending […]
Finance

Africa’s Energy Transition — Aspirations Versus Reality

AFRICA FACES A PARALLEL IMPERATIVE OF PROVIDING ELECTRICITY ACCESS TO MILLIONS OF CITIZENS CURRENTLY DEPRIVED OF IT, AND ALSO TO ALIGN WITH THE GLOBAL TRANSITION TO A NET ZERO FUTURE – AN ARTICLE BY PATRICIA TILLER, PARTNER AT HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH Africa is home to one-sixth of the global population, yet the continent accounts for […]
Finance

MCB Ltd supported Infinity Renewable Energy BV’s acquisition financing for Lekela Power

(24 March 2023) The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited (“MCB”) is pleased to announce that it has acted as joint Mandated Lead Arranger (MLA) in relation to an initial senior loan facility to support Infinity Power on its acquisition of Lekela Power. Infinity Power is a joint venture between Egypt’s Infinity and UAE’s Masdar. The transaction […]
Finance

Social Impact Objectives In Renewable Energy Development: Doing Good For People Is Good For Business

FALLING PRICES, INTENSIFIED CLIMATE CHANGE MANDATES, AND IMPROVED TECHNOLOGIES HAVE IGNITED TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) INDUSTRY. MORE THAN EVER, WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE PLANET IS ALSO GOOD FOR THE BOTTOM LINE. But what about for people? RE projects work best when they are designed to produce not just power but empowerment: jobs, […]
Finance

Big Challenges for African Utilities

National utilities are being forced to modernise as independent power producers enter the African market, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the energy conundrum, writes Neil Ford.
Finance

Financing Gaps: Investment In Frontier Markets

SUMMARY OF THE SESSION UNDER THE SAME TITLE THAT TOOK PLACE AT THE POWERING AFRICA SUMMIT (PAS), IN WASHINGTON DC, ON MARCH 2022. Given that there are different pathways for different renewable energies, the financial planning level to help countries meet such climate contributions presents complexities. Finding access to and financing for renewable energy is not […]

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