harnessing Africa’s renewable future.

We are a multi-donor trust fund that aims to catalyse private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across Africa. Our vision is to promote sustainable development and enhance energy access for all Africans through innovative solutions that drive economic growth and ensure environmental sustainability.

As Africa faces significant energy challenges, with over 570 million people lacking access to electricity, we are crucial in unlocking the continent's renewable energy potential. Our approach focuses on providing catalytic finance and technical assistance to support a wide range of clean energy projects, including solar, wind, hydroelectric power, and energy efficiency initiatives. By de-risking investments and improving project bankability, we help attract private capital and accelerate the deployment of these renewable energy solutions.

SEFA thematic areas

driving positive change

SEFA's thematic areas - Green Baseload (GBL), Green Mini-Grids (GMG), and Energy Efficiency (EE) - play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable development across Africa. 

  • sustainable alternatives to grid-based fossil-fuel-based generation

    GBL projects, comprising utility-scale variable renewable energy generation (e.g., wind and solar power) - integrated with energy storage to support power system stability - and hydropower, geothermal energy, and biomass-to-power offer alternatives to fossil fuel-based generation. Such projects also offer opportunities to create jobs and stimulate economic development while reducing carbon emissions. If supported by investments in transmission and distribution grids, utility-scale renewable energy generation facilitates enterprises' and households' access to electricity.

  • energising communities, transforming lives

    SEFA looks to leverage modularity and falling costs of renewable energy to enable electricity access to some of Africa’s most rural and remote populations. We aim to catalyse local economic growth and resilience-building by championing decentralised energy solutions, particularly mini-grids. SEFA provides targeted technical assistance through initiatives such as the Africa Mini-grid Acceleration Programme (AMAP), which supports governments in improving regulatory frameworks, identifying projects, and structuring procurement programmes for private sector-led development of mini-grids. Further, SEFA leverages its concessional financing instruments to de-risk investments in green mini-grids by bridging commercial viability shortcomings to bring electricity access to some of the continent’s poorest populations – including educational and health facilities - and fostering development through integration with productive uses of energy.

  • rationalising energy consumption, scaling up efficient appliances

    Support for EE technologies and policies to promote sustainability and resilience across the power sector, both in generation and consumption. Areas of intervention include innovative financing solutions for appliance businesses, clean cooking and electromobility, and more classic interventions in policy advocacy and capacity building. SEFA is expected to rationalise energy consumption, enhance energy security, and lower energy bills for households and enterprises.

Our donors

The fund's work is made possible through the support of a wide range of donors, including the Governments of Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Italy, and Spain, as well as the Nordic Development Fund and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet. These donors are committed to promoting sustainable energy in Africa and supporting efforts to drive economic development and poverty reduction through access to clean energy.

Grant requests

We want to inform all potential applicants that SEFA is currently at full capacity and unable to accept any new project applications. Our team is fully engaged with ongoing projects and is committed to ensuring the highest standards of quality and impact in our existing pipeline/portfolio. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to visit our website for future updates regarding when we can accept new project applications again. Thank you for your understanding and support.