Mobilizing Climate Finance for Africa’s Infrastructure Future: PIDA Roundtable Consultations

9–12 June 2025 | Best Western Plus, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The African Union Commission (AUC), in partnership with the African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the European Union (EU), is convening a strategic workshop in Addis Ababa to accelerate the mobilization of climate finance for infrastructure projects under the African Union’s flagship Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).

Context and Rationale

Despite significant progress in infrastructure development, Africa continues to face a considerable financing gap for its critical infrastructure projects. Estimates from the African Development Bank indicate that the continent requires between USD 130 billion and USD 170 billion annually for infrastructure. Climate finance remains critically underfunded, with only a small share of the estimated USD 3 trillion needed by 2030.

This workshop seeks to respond to these challenges by enhancing the bankability of regional projects, aligning infrastructure planning with climate goals, and engaging development partners and the private sector to support implementation through innovative and blended financing solutions.

Objectives

The roundtables aim to:

• Deliver tailored technical support for structuring bankable infrastructure projects eligible for climate finance in the energy and transport sectors;
• Identify innovative financing mechanisms to bridge the investment gap;
• Strengthen collaboration among public and private actors involved in infrastructure development;
• Develop sector-specific recommendations that contribute to PIDA implementation and Africa’s Just Transition agenda.

Structure of the Event

The four-day programme will consist of two thematic roundtables:

• Transport Sector Roundtable (9–10 June 2025):
  Focus areas include green corridors, rail connectivity, and aviation infrastructure. Featured projects include the VICMED Corridor, the Central Corridor Railway, and the Mombasa–Nairobi–Kampala SGR.
• Energy Sector Roundtable (11–12 June 2025):
  Focus areas include renewable energy, transmission infrastructure, and the integration of regional power markets. Featured projects include the Jafara Solar and Wind Groundwater Project, the Luapula Hydropower Project, and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) Carbon Market Initiative.

Each roundtable will include technical sessions known as Project Structuring Clinics, where project promoters will present live cases to financial and technical experts for feedback and improvement. The recommendations developed through this process will inform preparation for the Luanda Infrastructure Financing Summit, scheduled for October 2025.

Expected Outcomes

The roundtables are expected to:

• Generate sector-specific policy recommendations for the mobilisation of climate finance;
• Advance the structuring of projects to ensure alignment with investment criteria;
• Enhance institutional capacity of Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs);
• Support the creation of a pipeline of bankable, climate-resilient infrastructure projects.

Participants

The roundtables will bring together:

• Representatives from AU institutions, including AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, AfDB, UNECA;
• National and regional infrastructure authorities;
• Climate finance experts and institutions (Green Climate Fund, GET.invest, GET.pro, Global Gateway Africa);
• Development finance institutions (World Bank, KfW, InfraCo, IFC, Ecobank);
• Private sector actors and institutional investors;
• Regional Economic Communities and corridor agencies;
• Experts from the Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) and the Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP).

Road to Luanda Infrastructure Financing Summit

This initiative forms part of the preparatory roadmap for the Luanda Infrastructure Financing Summit, co-hosted by the Government of Angola, AUDA-NEPAD and the African Union Commission . The summit, scheduled for October 2025, will present a high-level platform to pitch the outcomes of this process to investors and strategic partners.

About PIDA and Climate Finance

The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) is the African Union’s continental strategic framework for infrastructure development. Covering the transport, energy, water and ICT sectors, PIDA seeks to accelerate regional connectivity and trade through cross-border, climate-resilient projects.

Under PIDA Priority Action Plan 2 (PIDA PAP 2), the African Union has identified 69 priority projects for implementation by 2030, requiring an estimated USD 160.7 billion. However, Africa’s infrastructure deficit remains wide, and access to climate finance is essential to meeting both development and environmental objectives.

By aligning PIDA projects with climate goals and improving bankability, the African Union and its partners aim to unlock new sources of funding, including concessional and blended finance. These efforts support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 objectives for sustainable, inclusive development.

            For media enquires information please contact:

Ms. Bezayit Eyoel | Information Analyst | Department of Infrastructure and Energy| African Union Commission| E-mail:     BezayitE@africa-union.org|

Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communication Directorate (ICD), African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

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