Africa Secures $11 Bn in Clean Energy Deals

French and African leaders have announced more than $11 billion in renewable energy investments across Africa, underscoring the continent’s growing importance in the global push for cleaner energy and industrial development.

The commitments were unveiled Tuesday during a closed-door CEO forum held alongside the France-Africa Summit in Nairobi, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Kenyan President William Ruto and leaders from more than 30 African countries.

Executives from major companies including TotalEnergies, EDF, Kenya Airways and Rubis Energy announced projects spanning sustainable aviation fuel, hydropower, solar energy, wind generation and clean cooking initiatives.

“Africa has a historic opportunity to not only participate in the global energy transition but to help lead it,” Ruto told delegates at the summit. “For Africa, this energy transition must also be an industrial transition.” Among the headline deals, Kenya Airways and Rubis Energy signed an agreement to jointly develop what the companies described as Africa’s first sustainable aviation fuel production facility in Kenya. The refinery is expected to produce 32,000 metric tons of sustainable aviation fuel annually.

“While we currently depend entirely on imports, this refinery allows us to produce a sustainable, local version of that fuel,” said George Kamal, acting CEO of Kenya Airways.