💡 With over 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lacking access to electricity and urban populations projected to double by 2050, the need for clean energy solutions is more urgent than ever. Among these, on-grid rooftop solar holds significant potential to power public buildings, reduce energy costs, and build climate resilience in cities.
It was a pleasure to be part of the exchanges at last week's Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH-Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa 'Unlocking Private Investment for Urban Solar Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa' event held in Brussels, Belgium.
Throughout the day, participants explored the legal and economic enablers for scaling rooftop solar, from the role of regulatory frameworks to business model viability and blended finance.
Delivering a keynote address at the event, Andy Deacon, Co-Managing Director of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), highlighted that "GCoM supports cities to package clean energy projects that attract public & private investment and sustainable financing, thus creating an enabling environment for financial innovation [...] Rooftop solar is an example of a city-driven climate solution with immense potential to improve energy access, economic resilience, and climate impact."
Giorgia Rambelli, Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) Director, shared how UTM cities in Africa and beyond are scaling urban projects. Building on this, Oscar Prat, Senior Expert in Business Match-Making at GCoM, joined a panel discussion on strengthening private sector partnerships, offering valuable insights.
Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dmNWZY-C
![View organization page for Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa]()
🌍Solar in African Cities: An Untapped Investment Opportunity
What’s holding back rooftop solar in African cities? At a recent high-level event hosted by GIZ CoM SSA in partnership with the @Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), investors, financial intermediaries, and energy specialists came together to identify concrete ways to close the financing gap and scale urban solar solutions ⚡ 🏙️
One highlight: 41 public infrastructure sites have already been fully assessed, with 32 more underway across Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana through the Urban Smart Energy (USE) approach — a modular model developed by CoM SSA to support cities from site selection to project structuring. Discussions also addressed key barriers, including regulatory uncertainty, currency volatility, and the lack of local-level financing instruments. Participants called for de-risking mechanisms, stronger legal frameworks, and better matchmaking between cities and private sector actors. 🔎 💡
📣 “Africa should be seen as a space of opportunity and co-creation, not through clichés or as an afterthought,” said Yodit Z., Head of Project at GIZ CoM SSA.
Thank you to GCoM and all participating partners—DG INTPA, Triple Jump, KOIS, ICLEI, Urban Transitions Mission, BASE Foundation, Empower New Energy, SolarPower Europe, BRUN-CESSAC, and the Brussels-Africa Hub—for powering this vital exchange.
🔗Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dmNWZY-C
Andy Deacon Mouctar Bah Anaïs Morin Guerry Francisco Ramirez Cartagena Arwa Temim Natalia P. Salazar A. Matteo Vanzini Giorgia Rambelli William McKenzie Benjamin Clarke Mark Van Doesburgh
Oscar Prat van Thiel Coovels Robert Kirchner Vanessa Vovor (she/her)
Kruti Munot Frida Baldeón Miranda Carolina Goradesky
Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) #energy #Africa #cities #solar
