In September, Masdar, a renewable energy company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Africa50, a pan-African infrastructure investment company, announced a partnership to identify, fast-track, and scale clean energy projects across Africa. Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, said: “Our [clean energy] portfolio today includes Senegal’s first utility-scale wind farm, Mauritania’s first and largest solar photovoltaic project, and the development of Africa’s largest wind farm in Egypt.” Under the umbrella of Etihad 7, a development platform launched by the UAE at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in 2022, the aim of the partnership is to provide clean electricity to 100 million people across the continent by 2035. The initiative brings together private and public capital, as well as investment from UAE institutions, such as the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). Masdar has committed a total of US$10 billion to renewable energy, of which US$2 billion is equity and US$8 billion is project funding (Africa Science News, September 7).
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Agreement to accelerate transition to clean energy in Africa
Senegal's first large-scale wind farm
Lionel Mandeix / Presidência Senegal
