A continental funding challenge Insufficient funding is flowing into the renewable energy sector in Africa. Commercial and development financiers agree that there are sufficient funds to finance the energy transition in Africa; however the continent faces challenges that are slowing down the rate of capital deployment into the clean energy sector. According to a report...
Smart Green Infrastructure (SGI) presents a huge investment opportunity globally, with an estimated USD100 trillion worth of climate action infrastructure required by 2030; in order to meet the Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets. However, there is a shortage of finance as well as a shortage of identifiable, investment-ready, and bankable projects. There is also lack...
The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement is an important instrument in helping Africa realize its economic integration and development goals. It builds up on the progress realized by the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to establish a USD 3.4 trillion market of goods and services with over 1.3 billion people. The scope of the...
In African traditional culture, people lived in communities and they looked after each other’s affairs communally. When one person had a misfortune, the community led by the village elders mobilized resources from the community and people came together to support one of their own. Fast forward to post-colonial Kenya, the spirit of Harambee continued the...
Under the mission of the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero, every company, bank, insurer, and the investor will need to adjust their business models, develop credible plans for the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future, and then implement those plans. Private finance can help fund private sector initiatives and turn billions committed to climate...
According to World Bank, there is great interest globally on the role of small and medium size (SME) enterprises in employment creation, income generation and economic development. They represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide. Formal SMEs contribute up to 40% of national income (GDP) in emerging economies. In Kenya,...
A decade ago, the narrative about startup investing in Africa was centered around grants funding tempered with a few impact investments. The two later morphed into what we now know as venture philanthropy that seeks to invest in social enterprises that are pursuing the triple bottom line model of economic, social and environmental impact. Except...
A proper transport network is a major catalyst to economic development and growth for any developing or developed country. Transport and logistics enables movement of economic commodities through different economic zones. In Africa, transport plays a critical role in not only facilitating growth but also in the integration of the region. It provides vital links...
The aspirations of the founding fathers of the African continent post-independence converged on a united Africa under the spirit of Pan Africanism and Ubuntu. Fast forward about six decades later, trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was launched in January 2021; marking the beginning of trade liberalization across the continent. As Africa...
That Africa is shifting its economic growth model from being commodity based to entrepreneurship driven is a no brainer to policy makers across the continent. Following the fall in commodity prices in 2015 that led to many oil dependent countries slowing down in terms of economic growth policy makers in most African countries are now...