Europe Leads €15.5 Billion Pledge for Africa’s Clean Energy Transition

A year-long campaign to boost renewable energy investment in Africa has mobilised €15.5 billion, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced. The pledges aim to accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition, expand electricity access, and promote sustainable economic growth.

The European Union led the effort, contributing over €15.1 billion, including €10 billion pledged by President von der Leyen on behalf of Team Europe. Additional bilateral contributions came from Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, and Ireland, alongside support from the European Investment Bank (€2.1 billion) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (€740 million).

The campaign, organised with Global Citizen and supported by the International Energy Agency, is expected to generate 26.8 GW of renewable energy and provide electricity to 17.5 million households currently without reliable access.

President von der Leyen said, “Today, the world has stepped up for Africa. With €15.5 billion, we are turbocharging Africa's clean-energy transition. Millions more people could gain access to electricity; real, life-changing power for families, businesses, and communities.”

The African Development Bank pledged to allocate at least 20% of its 17th replenishment to renewable energy, while Norway committed €53 million through its contribution to the Fund for 2026–2028.

The ‘Scaling up Renewables in Africa’ campaign was launched in November 2024 to drive policy and finance commitments from governments, financial institutions, the private sector, and philanthropists. It supports global targets to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency, as agreed at COP28.