European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced today a €618 million Team Europe package to accelerate Africa's clean energy transition. This announcement, unveiled during the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels, is an important milestone in the “Scaling Up Renewables in Africa” campaign, co-hosted with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and coordinated with the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen.

This campaign raises global awareness and mobilises public and private investments for clean energy generation and access across Africa. European Commission President von der Leyen said: “Africa has everything it needs to become a global leader in clean energy — vision, talent and abundant natural resources. With this €618 million Team Europe package, we are joining with our African partners to power a clean and sustainable energy future for the continent.”

Africa's renewable energy potential is huge: the continent is home to 60% of the world's best solar resources. Scaling up investment in renewable energy is a strategic opportunity to boost green industrialisation, create jobs, and build climate resilience.

Through the Global Gateway investment strategy, the European Union is working with African partners to seize this opportunity. The EU is delivering major investments in renewable energy generation, transmission and cross-border electricity trade, while building long-term, reliable partnerships to support Africa's clean energy future.

An acceleration of clean energy projects across Africa

Today's €618 million package will go towards projects that support electrification, modernising power grids, and expanding access to renewable energy.

Projects announced include:

• Kenya (€55 million): Green electricity system to support electricity generation and strengthen the transmission network for homes and businesses.
• Uganda (€60 million): Last-mile electrification project to bring electricity to rural areas, benefiting more than 250,000 people.
• Democratic Republic of Congo: (€90.14 million) Electrification of Kisangani and surrounding green landscapes, securing power supply and boosting local economic activity.
• Mauritania (€125 million): Regional transmission corridor to meet the energy needs of fast-growing populations.
• Nigeria (€20 million): Technical assistance to scale up renewable solutions, supporting farmers and small businesses.
• Cabo Verde (€39 million): Cabeolica wind and storage project to expand wind generation and battery capacity.
• Zambia - Tanzania interconnector (€30 million): Reinforcing the link between Southern and Eastern African power pools, strengthening drought resilience and regional power exchange.
• Togo (€199 million): Renewable energy and storage project in Kpalimé to increase generation and reliability.

Additional EU commitments under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with South Africa were also announced at the Global Gateway Forum, underlining strong EU–South Africa cooperation on the energy transition.

These announcements build on the €545 million package unveiled at the UN General Assembly only weeks ago, showing that the EU continues to deliver on its commitments. They form part of the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative (AEGEI), launched at the 6th EU-AU Summit in 2022, which aims to unlock Africa's vast renewable electricity potential and provide at least 100 million people with access to power by 2030. The initiative brings together 12 EU Member States, their Development Finance Institutions, the European Investment Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in a coordinated Team Europe approach.

Source: EU Commission