Rockefeller Foundation Advances African-Led Energy Transition Solutions at COP29

• Announces $US10.9 million for the African Climate Foundation; African School of Regulation; Clean Cooking Alliance, via UN Foundation, in Kenya; GOGLA; SEforALL, via UNOPS, in Zambia 

• Builds upon $US10 million to energy transition projects in dozens of sub-Saharan countries through Mission 300 TA Accelerator with GEAPP 

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN | November 15, 2024 ― As part of Energy Day at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan (COP29), The Rockefeller Foundation announced $US10.9 million to advance African-led clean energy solutions. The philanthropic organization will invest $2.1 million to create the African Energy Futures Initiative; $3 million into the African School of Regulation; $400,000 to launch the inaugural Clean Cooking Delivery Unit in Kenya; $300,000 to help integrate off-grid solar into national electrification strategies in nearly two dozen countries; and $5 million to advance the Government of the Republic of Zambia’s effort to deploy over 1,000 mini grids in rural communities. This announcement comes on the heels of The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet’s (GEAPP) initial $10 million commitment to providing technical assistance funding for new energy transition projects in 11 African countries and across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), in support of Mission 300, a World Bank Group and African Development Bank (AfDB) led initiative. 

“Africa’s leadership is paving the way for a sustainable energy future on the continent and around the world,” said William Asiko, Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Regional Office. “From mini grids to clean cooking solutions, from policies to regulations, The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to partner with African leaders to scale innovations that can transform vulnerable people’s lives and livelihoods.” 

The Rockefeller Foundation calculates that across 72 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and the Middle East, there is an 8,700 terawatt-hour (TWh) “Green Power Gap,” which represents the renewable energy capacity that must be generated by 2050 for these countries to meet both global development and climate goals. And while an energy transition is already taking hold in many advanced and emerging markets, 42 of the 72 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to approximately 600 million people living without electricity, while a significantly large population lack access to affordable and reliable energy. 

African-Led Clean Energy Solutions: 

• Creating the African Energy Futures Initiative (AEFI) — Supported by an initial $2.1 million grant from The Rockefeller Foundation, the African Climate Foundation (ACF) launched the AEFI, a new funding and technical assistance platform focused on African-led and African-designed energy transition solutions. AEFI aims to provide multi-year funding to centers of excellence for energy systems modeling and analysis in Africa. In consultation with leading energy modeling experts and African organizations and with additional funding support from Schmidt Sciences and The Rockefeller Foundation, the Energy for Growth Hub led the design of the initiative and secured initial resources for the AEFI. Initially incubated within the Cape Town, South Africa-based ACF, which is the first African-led re-granter working at the nexus of climate and development on the continent, AEFI is actively seeking additional funding partners to support its ambitious vision. 

Saliem Fakir, Executive Director of the ACF, said: “We are excited about the AEFI. We aim to build indigenous capacity in energy planning, modeling, and economic analysis across the continent. This aligns perfectly with the ACF’s approach to climate development investment platforms, as we move towards practical implementation. Our focus is on using knowledge and expertise to drive real change. Our new motto, from policy to implementation, reflects our commitment to solution-orientated action.” 

• Supporting the African School of Regulation (ASR) — Building upon its initial $1 million to help the ASR officially launch during the 2023 Africa Climate Summit, The Rockefeller Foundation is providing an additional $3 million to enable ASR to become a hub of excellence for energy regulation and policy on the continent. With the objective of promoting sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy access across Africa, ASR is currently incubating in the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) headquartered in Accra, Ghana. In addition to The Rockefeller Foundation, ASR is backed by a range of technical and resource partners, including The Enel Foundation, EUI via the Florence School of Regulation (FSR), Energy Nexus Network (TENN), GEAPP, Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES), the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the University of Cape Town (UCT) via the Power Futures Lab. 

Dr. Frederick Nyang, Director of the ASR, said: “We are delighted to secure support for the second phase of ASR’s development, which will focus on establishing the ASR as a recognized centre of excellence for energy policy and regulation. We aim to deliver continent-wide reach for our activities, focused on research and training that enhance the regulatory environment, foster innovation, and support the transition to sustainable energy systems.”

• Launching Clean Cooking Delivery Unit in Kenya — With nearly 2.3 billion globally lacking access to clean, modern, and affordable cooking solutions, the related environmental, health, social, and economic costs are vast, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where about 70% of households have no choice but to rely on polluting fuels such as charcoal and wood to cook their meals. The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) designed the Delivery Units Network, a platform of Clean Cooking Delivery Units comprised of small, high-performing teams set up at the highest levels of government with the mandate to offer policy advisory and implementation advisory support across government. The Rockefeller Foundation’s $400,000 grant to CCA, via The UN Foundation, will help launch the inaugural Clean Cooking Delivery Unit in Kenya, that will serve as a model for scaling similar initiatives across the continent, including Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone as initial focus countries.

Samiksha Nair, Chief Strategy Officer of CCA, said: “The Delivery Units Network is an opportunity for CCA to support and amplify an African-led agenda on one of the continent’s most pressing climate, health, and energy challenges. We look forward to working with heads of state, ministers, climate envoys, and other leaders as they prioritize this issue, unlock financing at scale, and commit to delivering meaningful results at a national level.”

• Integrating off-grid solar into national electrification strategies — Off-Grid solar is the least cost solution to reaching almost half of the global population that needs to be electrified by 2030, 85% of whom will reside in Africa, according to the 2024 Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report, published by the World Bank’s ESMAP and GOGLA. With $300,000 in funding from The Rockefeller Foundation, GOGLA is working with African governments and national renewable energy associations in almost two dozen countries to integrate off-grid solar into national electrification strategies through targeted trainings, peer-to-peer learning sessions, and technical assistance. The two organizations are also collaborating to increase awareness and funding support for the off-grid solar sector. In addition, The Rockefeller Foundation was a sponsor of GOGLA’s flagship Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo in Nairobi that brought together over 1,600 delegates from across the sector to discuss key challenges and solutions most critical to advancing the industry.

Sarah Malm, Executive Director of GOGLA, said: “Access to clean, low-cost renewable energy in Africa underpins economic development, creates jobs, builds climate resilience, powers digital connectivity, and supports food security. At GOGLA we work with The Rockefeller Foundation to advocate for the hardest to reach populations and build the political will and technical capacity of national governments to accelerate access to clean renewable energy.”

• Supporting Zambia’s 1,000 Mini Grid Initiative — In support of the Government of the Republic of Zambia’s Presidential Initiative with the objective to deploy over 1,000 mini-grids across rural Zambia, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) have designed a two-phased approach to address the unique characteristics of the Zambian mini-grid market and rural electrification challenges in collaboration with The Rockefeller Foundation. With $5 million in funding from The Rockefeller Foundation, SEforALL, via the UN Office for Project Service (UNOPS), will support the disbursement of a financing incentive that will go to private sector developers on a performance-based contract to help prioritize productive uses and public institution energy demand, while providing critical technical assistance to the key government agencies administering the program. By helping to to address rural electrification challenges unique to Zambia, this collaboration aims to accelerate the government’s efforts to electrify 1,000 rural communities with distributed renewable energy (DRE) technology, stimulating growth in crucial sectors and reaching one million people over the coming years.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, said: “I join world leaders in commending His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema’s commitment to accelerate the deployment of decentralized renewable energy solutions through the 1000 Mini-grid Initiative. Through the Zambia Energy Demand Stimulation Incentive (ZEDSI), which is implemented by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)’s Universal Energy Facility (UEF) with funding support from The Rockefeller Foundation, we will support the commercial viability of mini-grid projects and bolster rural economic development across the country.”

About African Climate Foundation (ACF)

The African Climate Foundation is the first African-led strategic re-granter working at the nexus of climate change and development. For more information, sign up for our mailing list at www.africanclimatefoundation.org and follow us on X @AfricanClimateF and LinkedIn.

About The African School of Regulation (ASR) 

The African School of Regulation (ASR) aims to be the hub of excellence for learning practical skills established on a sound foundation, promoting independent discussion and knowledge exchange, conducting applied research to address new challenges, and making available a repository of resources in energy regulation and policy to achieve sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy in Africa. For additional information, please see the ASR website https://africanschoolregulation.org/ or email contact@africanschoolregulation.org.

About Clean Cooking Alliance

The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) stewards the global clean cooking agenda. CCA is the sole organization with the explicit mandate to operate at a national and global scale to enable market-based approaches for clean cooking, in service of achieving 10 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. CCA works through a worldwide network of partners to ensure that no one’s life is limited by how they cook. For additional information, please visit https://cleancooking.org/, subscribe to our newsletter at https://cleancooking.org/newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn @cleancookingalliance.

About GOGLA

GOGLA is the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry, representing over 200 members working to transform lives through clean, affordable, and high-quality solar products and services. More than 560 million climate-vulnerable people already benefit from off-grid solar today. With the right support, our industry is poised to scale rapidly, aiming to improve the lives of 1 billion people by 2030. GOGLA drives this progress by serving as a central hub for the sector, offering vital market data, advocating for supportive policies and increased investment, and providing value-added services to our members. Learn more at gogla.org.

About Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization that works in partnership with the United Nations and leaders in government, the private sector, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies to drive faster action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 – in line with the Paris Agreement on climate. We work to ensure a clean energy transition that leaves no one behind and brings new opportunities for everyone to fulfill their potential.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity. Today, we are focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis by transforming systems in food, health, energy, and finance. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LI @the-rockefeller-foundation.