EU Drives Africa’s Clean Energy as a year-long renewable campaign concludes with €15.5bn in commitments to expand clean power and electricity access across the continent

A year-long international campaign to accelerate renewable-energy investment across Africa has closed with a powerful €15.5bn commitment, driven overwhelmingly by the European Union.

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The initiative aims to expand clean-power generation, widen electricity access, and strengthen sustainable growth across the continent.

The campaign, jointly led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, was designed to mobilise public and private financing for Africa’s long-awaited energy transition.

According to a statement issued by the EU Delegation in Abuja on Sunday, the EU accounted for more than €15.1bn of the total pledges.

Von der Leyen hailed the outcome as a transformative moment, saying, “Today, the world has stepped up for Africa. With €15.5bn, we are turbocharging Africa’s clean-energy transition.

Millions more people could gain access to electricity — real, life-changing power for families, businesses and entire communities.”

She added that the investment represents a “surge of opportunity”, promising thriving markets, new jobs and reliable clean energy across Africa.

The EU’s Team Europe package includes new Global Gateway projects co-financed by Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, alongside significant commitments from the European Investment Bank (€2.1bn) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (€740m).

Further bilateral pledges totalled more than €5bn, with Italy (€2.4bn), Germany (over €2bn), the Netherlands (€250m), Portugal (€113m), Denmark (€81m), Sweden (€44m), Austria (€5m) and Ireland (€5m) joining the effort.

The EBRD also announced an additional €600m investment.

Beyond Europe, the African Development Bank committed to allocating at least 20 per cent of the African Development Fund’s 17th replenishment to renewable energy, while Norway pledged around €53m to the same fund for 2026–2028.

Campaign organisers estimate that the pledges will deliver 26.8 gigawatts of new renewable-energy capacity and provide clean electricity to 17.5 million households that currently lack reliable power.

Of the €10bn pledged by von der Leyen on behalf of Team Europe, €3.1bn had been announced earlier at major international events throughout 2025, while the remaining €7bn was confirmed at the final campaign event in Johannesburg on 21 November.

Launched in November 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, the “Scaling up Renewables in Africa” campaign aligns with global COP28 ambitions to triple renewable-energy capacity and double energy-efficiency improvements worldwide.

Africa remains one of the regions most affected by energy poverty, with 600 million people lacking electricity access.

Despite possessing 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, the continent attracts just 2 per cent of global energy investment — a gap the EU says it is determined to help close.

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Through its Global Gateway Strategy and Africa–Europe Green Energy Initiative, the EU reaffirmed its long-term commitment to supporting renewable generation, expanding transmission infrastructure and boosting cross-border energy trade across Africa.