The African Development Bank's Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has launched a Call for Proposals under its newly established Green Hydrogen Programme (GH), open to private sector entities developing green hydrogen and derivatives projects across Africa.

The Green Hydrogen programme, initially capitalised with funding from the German government and approved at the end of 2025, will provide pre-investment financing of up to $20 million for three to five top-ranked projects selected through the Call for Proposals, subject to due diligence.

Financing will typically be through reimbursable grants, for advisory services to contribute to progress towards the Final Investment Decision and/or financial close stages, for example, feasibility studies, engineering design to prepare for procurement, construction and transaction advisory services.

"Green hydrogen represents a real opportunity for Africa, both to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries and to build new value chains, while contributing to socio-economic development," said Dr Daniel Schroth, Director of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department, AfDB. "The SEFA Green Hydrogen Programme is designed to contribute to the transition of projects from development to bankability, considering the rigour that is required in supporting an emerging sector."

The application window opens on 10 April 2026 at 09:30 GMT. Proposals must be submitted through sefaafrica.org by 11 May 2026, 17:00 Abidjan time. Full details, eligibility criteria, and the application questionnaire are available via the afore-mentioned link.

ABOUT SEFA

SEFA is a multi-donor Special Fund that provides catalytic finance to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. SEFA offers technical assistance and concessional finance instruments to remove market barriers, build a more robust pipeline of projects and improve the risk-return profile of individual investments. The Fund’s overarching goal is to contribute to universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services across Africa, in line with Mission 300.

Source: AfDB