Africa’s Best Resource, But Still Underfinanced
Session Structure:
Africa's renewable energy sector is having a strong year, with the continent on track to install 17GW of solar capacity in 2026, a 45% increase on 2025 and the third consecutive record year. Yet more than 600 million people still lack electricity access. Africa has an estimated 60% of the world's best solar resource and more than 600GW of untapped wind potential, while receiving only around 2% of global renewable energy financing. The paradox is therefore not simply a shortage of resources or capital. Bankable projects are being developed and financed, but the wider energy system is not scaling at the same pace. Generation can continue to grow, but without transmission and distribution infrastructure, storage, viable offtake structures and financially sustainable power systems, new capacity cannot reliably reach consumers. The session will focus on where this gap is occurring and what practical investment and market models can close it.
Discussion points:
If bankable renewable energy projects exist and financing is available, what is preventing more projects from reaching financial close and moving from individual transactions to repeatable investment pipelines? What role should investment banks and DFIs play in structuring capital more effectively?
Africa can continue to build generation, but what is the right model for investing in transmission and distribution? Why is grid investment moving more slowly than generation, and how can public and private capital be brought together to address the infrastructure bottleneck, including the role of storage?
What would it take for Norwegian and Nordic renewable energy expertise and capital to enter African markets more credibly? Given the limited track record of Nordic investors in African renewable energy, what should a practical first step look like?
Can private offtakers, particularly mining companies and other large industrial users, help unlock renewable generation, storage and infrastructure through long-term demand and bankable PPAs? Where can private offtake models complement, rather than substitute for, national grids?
What are we doing wrong if the sector has renewable resources, proven technology, experienced developers and available capital, yet more than 600 million people still lack electricity? What should governments, DFIs, investment banks, developers and private investors do differently over the next 12 months to close the gap between projects financed and reliable electricity delivered?