Africa Investment Forum comes up with 4 renewable energy, plastic recycling projects at about $ 1.5 bn

24 / 05 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

The African Investment Forum – which is held on the fringe of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group’s 2023 Annual Meetings – came up with four projects in the fields of renewable energy and plastic recycling at about $1.5 billion to investors as Africa is the world’s most vulnerable region to climate change.

The projects are meant to accelerate climate action, including closing financing gaps by securing an ever-increasing share of global capital for the continent.

The projects included a hybrid hydrogen feedstock/ ammonia project in North Africa that will source 400 MW of renewable energy to produce—without Co2 emissions— 183 tons of hydrogen feedstock daily to generate 1,000 tons a day of green ammonia via electrolysis. Additional investment of $27 million is needed to move the project towards bankability.

Another venture, in West Africa, is a 27 MW hydropower project that has successfully undergone feasibility assessments. It has also attracted funding support from a number of international entities and multilateral development agencies. Among projected benefits, the deal will service 700,000 households, generate 600 direct and indirect jobs over the life of the project, and reduce Co2 emissions by 81,000 tons each year. The project represents an increase of 10% in the country’s total electricity generation capacity.

The investment roundtable also featured an opportunity to invest in a $73 million plastic recycling and sustainability companies’ expansion drive into seven African countries across West, Central and Southern Africa. The project has attracted the interest of several funders of project preparation and technical assistance to conduct feasibility studies in the target countries. It promises important benefits; creation of 16,000 jobs as well as opportunities for 20,000 waste pickers in targeted countries. It will also divert 214,000 metric tons of plastic waste (PET,PP,PE) from landfill dumps and reduce carbon emissions by 149,000 metric tons. Currently only 10% of Africa’s plastics are recycled. The project resonated positively with growth capital investors that attended the roundtable.

The project incorporates important technological features, including cutting-edge processing lines and app-based collection and payment options. These features were viewed as enhancing the project’s scalability across Africa and the project resonated positively with growth capital investors that attended the roundtable.

The fourth project is an opportunity to invest in a $440 million Southern Africa hydropower independent power producer that will generate 544,000 MWh/year of energy. It will also include water distribution and flood prevention elements. Other benefits include 3,000 construction jobs through project completion. The transaction sponsors are seeking $12.5 million to finalize the project’s development phase.

The Africa Investment Forum is Africa’s investment marketplace to accelerate transactions to close Africa’s investment gaps. The Africa Investment Forum’s flagship Market Days event, to be held in November 2023, will bring together international deal sponsors, investors and government leaders to showcase transactions that are ready to progress toward closure.

The forum is championed by the African Development Bank and seven other founding partners (Africa50, Africa Finance Corporation, Afreximbank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank and Trade and Development Bank).