The European Union has pledged about €15.5 billion to support a clean-energy future across the African continent, alongside additional commitments aimed at expanding renewable energy generation and improving household access to electricity.
The commitment is led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of a year-long campaign to mobilise investment in Africa’s renewable-energy transition.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the European Commission.
According to the statement, the European Union led the pledging effort with more than €15.1 billion.
“This includes a pledge made by President von der Leyen, on behalf of Team Europe, of over €10 billion, as well as significant additional bilateral contributions by European financial institutions, Member States , their Development Finance Institutions and estimated private investment mobilised.”
The campaign, organised in collaboration with the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen with policy support from the International Energy Agency, aims to drive public and private investment to support Africa’s clean-energy transition, expand access to electricity, and promote sustainable economic growth and decarbonised industrialisation across the continent.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the initiative represents a significant step towards accelerating the shift from fossil fuels to clean and sustainable energy worldwide.
“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, for businesses, for entire communities.
This investment is a surge of opportunity: thriving markets, new jobs, and reliable, clean energy that meets the needs of partners across the globe.
President Ramaphosa and I both look forward to a clean-energy future for the continent. A future led by Africa, with strong support from its friend and partner, Europe.”
The statement highlighted that “The Team Europe package announced by President von der Leyen includes new Global Gateway projects co-financed with contributions from Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, as well as the European Investment Bank (€2.1 billion) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (€740 million).
“In addition, Italy (€2.4 billion), Germany (over €2 billion), the Netherlands including FMO (€250 million), Portugal (€113 million), Denmark (€81 million), Sweden (€44 million), Austria (€5 million), and Ireland (€5 million) made bilateral contributions worth over €5 billion, while the EBRD announced a separate bilateral investment of over €600 million.”
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The statement also disclosed that, as part of the campaign, the African Development Bank pledged to allocate at least 20% of the African Development Fund’s 17th replenishment to renewable energy, while Norway committed approximately €53 million through its contribution to the African Development Fund over 2026–2028.
The “Scaling up Renewables in Africa” campaign was launched in November 2024 in Rio de Janeiro by von der Leyen and Ramaphosa to drive new policy and financial commitments from governments, financial institutions, the private sector, and philanthropists. It also helped build momentum toward global targets set at COP28 to triple renewable-energy capacity and double energy-efficiency improvements worldwide.
The campaign secured additional commitments expected to generate 26.8 GW of new renewable-energy capacity and deliver clean electricity to 17.5 million households currently lacking reliable access.
“From the €10 billion pledged by President von der Leyen on behalf of Team Europe, €3.1 billion were announced previously on the occasion of the EU–South Africa summit in March 2025, the Mattei Plan for Africa and Global Gateway event in June 2025, the Africa Climate Summit and the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, and the Global Gateway Forum in October 2025, while €7 billion were announced by the President during the final pledging event in Johannesburg on 21 November.”
The statement noted that, in addition to the campaign pledges, multiple Team Europe actors have indicated their intention to increase investments in renewable energy by 2030, amounting to an additional €4 billion.
It added: “Currently, 600 million people still lack access to electricity in Africa. With Africa’s population set to double by 2050, providing affordable, sustainable energy is crucial for both the continent’s development and global climate goals.
Africa holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources, offering a significant opportunity for renewable energy.
Despite this, the continent attracts only 2% of global energy investment and faces challenges like high capital costs, limited investment, geographic barriers, and supply-chain constraints.”
Through the Global Gateway investment strategy, especially the Africa-Europe Green Energy Initiative (AEGEI), the EU is working with African partners to harness these opportunities.
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.