AFRICA – The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a US$20 million investment in the Metier Sustainable Capital International Fund II.
The Fund channels investments to renewable energy and resource-efficient infrastructure projects across sub-Saharan Africa.
The Bank’s investment will contribute to the production of an additional 178.5MW of renewable power for commercial and residential use.
This funding will also create opportunities for industrial wastewater treatment and waste-to-energy generation.
The Fund will meet the Bank’s strict environment and safeguards standards to ensure potential risks are adequately mitigated.
Highlighting the relevance of the project, Wale Shonibare, the Bank’s acting vice president for power, energy, climate change & green growth, said: “Metier has extensive experience in developing and financing renewable energy projects with strong technical partners and co-developers in Southern Africa.”
Shonibare added: “We are pleased to join other investors in supporting their expansion into new African markets to help unlock the vast renewable potential of the continent.”
He said the investment was part of the Bank’s efforts to alleviate financing constraints in the renewable energy sector.
Metier is a well-established fund manager with a track record of deploying more than US$550 million in African countries, including solar, wind and hydropower projects in Southern and East Africa.
The company has been a key player in South African solar power, a maturing technology that offers significant benefits in terms of storage and dispatchability to the grid, unlike traditional photovoltaic options.
Marc Immerman, managing principal at Metier Sustainable Capital, said: “We embrace the strong synergies between the mandate of the AfDB and Metier Sustainable Capital Fund II. We look forward to jointly delivering a portfolio of clean energy and resource-efficient investments.”
The African Development Bank Group or Banque Africaine de Développement is a multilateral development finance institution.
The AfDB was founded in 1964 and comprises three entities: The African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund.
he AfDB’s mission is to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent through promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region.
The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies investing in the regional member countries (RMC).
