On December 8, at the UN Climate Conference in Paris (COP 21), the UN Foundation’s Energy Access Practitioner Network, in support of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4All) launched a new version of their investment directory and online portal featuring more than $1.3 billion of investment and financing opportunities across the developing world. The new tools initially feature more than 200 companies that are delivering off-grid clean energy solutions in Africa and elsewhere.

The directory includes several of Power Africa’s Beyond the Grid partner companies, who are delivering off-grid and small-scale renewable energy technologies to hundreds of thousands of people and businesses throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

To fully capture investment needs in the directory, the UN Foundation surveyed hundreds of sustainable energy companies and enterprises to ask them what their projected investment or financing need are over the course of the next 1-2 years. The directory aggregates responses, and provides  a snapshot of the company or organization’s approach , geographic footprint, experience with mini- and micro-grids, and more. Notably, a majority of the entities are focusing on some time of solar PV deployment, and many of the companies are operating in East Africa.

Richenda Van Leeuwen, Executive Director for Energy Access at the United Nations Foundation, announced the updated directory at COP 21: “Access to clean and affordable modern energy revolutionizes lives — improving health, saving time and enhancing income generation opportunities, enabling education and entrepreneurship, decreasing vulnerability to violence, and empowering women,” said Van Leeuwen. “By investing in innovative clean energy solutions and adopting successful models for rural electrification, using today’s existing renewable energy solutions, we can help to reduce climate vulnerability and end energy poverty by 2030.”

Working with strong partners like the United Nations Foundation and SE4All enables our collective efforts to increase investment in clean energy projects that are bringing power to people and communities across the continent.

Since our launch, Power Africa has successfully mobilized significant investments in renewable technologies throughout the continent, helping to diversify energy portfolios and accelerate Africa’s transition toward thriving, low-carbon economies.

From wind parks in Kenya, to solar arrays in Rwanda, and geothermal generation in Ethiopia, Power Africa is putting the continent’s vast renewable resources to work en route to meeting our goals of 30,000 megawatts and 60 million new connections.