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Rwanda Climate Finance Partnership Powers Innovative Climate Action

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Climate Finance

The Rwanda Climate Finance Partnership aims to facilitate public-private partnerships to scale-up climate finance and has been made possible by the country’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement with the International Monetary Fund

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, December 4, 2023/APO Group/ — 

The Rwanda Climate Finance Partnership, which was launched at the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, will further power innovative climate action thanks to additional contributions from the Government of Rwanda. The partnership is supported by Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Union and Team Europe, the European Investment Bank (EIB) (EIB.org), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), German Cooperation via KfW Development Bank, and the Italian Cooperation system with the support of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP); and it complements existing partnerships, including the Rwandan-German Climate and Development Partnership and ongoing initiatives with the World Bank. The formal announcement was made on the sidelines of the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, UAE. 

The Rwanda Climate Finance Partnership aims to facilitate public-private partnerships to scale-up climate finance and has been made possible by the country’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement (https://apo-opa.co/4a1TvoD) with the International Monetary Fund. It is expected that the IMF will disburse an additional USD 48.5 million in budget support following the approval of Rwanda’s second review of the RSF arrangement by the IMF Executive Board in mid-December. To further demonstrate commitment to its RSF-supported climate agenda, the Government of Rwanda also announced two additional reform measures supported by the RSF, related to: (i) enhanced risk analysis of State-Owned Enterprises and Public-Private Partnerships that are vulnerable to climate change, and (ii) adopting a green taxonomy adapted to Rwanda’s NDC climate action plan.

The following partnership milestones were also shared at the COP28 side event today: The Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, will contribute USD 40 million to support Ireme Invest, the country’s private sector green investment facility.

The EIB and the Development Bank of Rwanda have signed a EUR 20 million loan and a technical assistance agreement to support Rwanda’s green transition through Ireme Invest

  • The EIB and the Development Bank of Rwanda have signed a EUR 20 million loan and a technical assistance agreement to support Rwanda’s green transition through Ireme Invest. The loan is the first tranche of an expected EUR 100 million financing package announced at the Paris Summit. The technical assistance will be provided under the EIB Greening Financial Systems programme, supporting the NDC Partnership and backed by the International Climate Initiative Fund and German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action. At COP28 the EIB is also outlining a new EUR 100 million agricultural climate finance partnership with Bank of Kigali to support smallholders and agri-business across Rwanda impacted by climate change.
  • AFD and Rwanda Development Bank have signed a EUR 20 million credit facility and a EUR 1 million technical assistance grant to scale up Ireme Invest. The first investments under the facility have already been undertaken in several sectors: green buildings and renewable energy. AFD has also signed a budget support of EUR 50 million and EUR 3 million technical assistance grant, announced at the Paris Summit, to advance green public financial management in Rwanda. AFD signed a memorandum of understanding with Bank of Kigali, whereby they agree to strengthen their cooperation in the area of climate finance and working on a climate line of credit of EUR 20 million with a technical assistance grant of EUR 1 million.
  • The Danish International Development Agency and the Rwanda Green Fund have signed a grant agreement of USD 5.27 million to support the Project Preparation Facility of Ireme Invest, which is powered by the Rwanda Green Fund.
  • CDP, Italy’s Financial Institution for International Development Cooperation, is advancing its partnership with the Government of Rwanda to provide financial support to green transition in the country, in the context of an overall strategy to scale up financial flows towards sustainable development and to counter climate change in Africa.

The Rwanda Climate Finance Partnership is a key pillar of Rwanda’s efforts to fund its ambitious NDC Climate Action Plan, and complements a number of existing public and private sector focused initiatives to enable Rwanda to respond to climate change:

  • Programmatic approach for Rwanda’s NDC investments: Three programmatic investment plans on: (i) Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), (ii) Sustainable Urbanization, with lead support of German Technical Cooperation (GIZ), and (iii) Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM), with the support from the World Bank, are currently under preparation. Additionally, the IFC will support the Government of Rwanda through the Rwanda Green Fund, to develop long-term investment plans for climate smart agriculture and sustainable urbanization, specifically focusing on increasing the role of the private sector in greening Rwanda’s economy.
  • Green Taxonomy: The Government of Rwanda announced the first phase of its green taxonomy to help catalyze private financing to green projects. Once finalized, the taxonomy will provide clear signals on which projects and activities are aligned with Rwanda’s climate goals. It will help direct private financial flows to the financing of those activities. The initiative is supported by Germany through GIZ, and it is strongly interlinked with Ireme Invest and the Boosting Green Finance, Investment and Trade (GreenFIT) partnership with the World Bank.
  • Rwanda’s NDC Facility, known as Intego, has developed a rich and promising pipeline of public climate adaptation and mitigation projects since its launch at COP27. The facility was capitalized by Germany through KfW with seed funding of EUR 46 million as part of the EUR 222 million Rwandan-German Climate and Development Partnership. The first call for proposals shows that financing needs and availability of project concepts go far beyond the seed funding and the Government of Rwanda is inviting development partners to join the initiative. Intego shall become a best practice example on how to facilitate access to public finance and to pool funding from various sources for climate projects.
  • Boosting Green Finance, Investment and Trade (GreenFIT): The World Bank has also partnered with the Government of Rwanda in the design of a new development policy operation (DPO) that encompasses a set of reforms to increase private sector participation in the Rwandan economy and improve resource mobilisation for climate resilience, with a value of USD 250 million over two years. Germany through KfW Development Bank has joined this effort and contributed not only to the provision of hands-on Technical Assistance for the design and implementation of the DPO’s actions, and is considering a financial contribution to the overall funding of the operation for the second year of the DPO.
  • The EU, as part of the Global Gateway initiative, is also providing budget support for an overall amount of EUR 59 million in grants, including EUR 6.5 million technical assistance, in support of Rwanda’s NDC targets with a specific focus on adaptation in agriculture, in addition to backing the EUR 20 million EIB financing to the Rwanda Development Bank and the Bank of Kigali EIB loan.
  • Finally, the Development Bank of Rwanda recently closed a RWF 30 billion (USD 24.8 million) sustainability-linked bond issuance, which was partially credit-enhanced via a World Bank lending operation, representing the first such issuance by a national development bank in the world.

The Rwanda Climate Finance Partnership, Rwandan-German Climate and Development Partnership, and ongoing initiatives with the World Bank and other partners, such as the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden, demonstrate the power of collaboration to reshape the global climate finance architecture, including by moving beyond small-scale projects to significant long-term investments that leverage existing mechanisms to facilitate public-private partnerships and attract private sector investments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of European Investment Bank (EIB).

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Namibia’s Orange Basin Moves Toward First Oil at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026

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African Energy Chamber

The “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production” session will examine how Namibia can turn its offshore oil boom into a broader industrial opportunity through local suppliers, skills development, technology transfer and domestic investment

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 27, 2026/APO Group/ –After a series of major offshore discoveries transformed Namibia into one of the world’s most closely watched exploration frontiers, attention is shifting from proving resources to building the infrastructure, partnerships and industrial capabilities needed to bring them into production. At African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, the session “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production. Orange Basin’s Path to First Oil” will examine how the country can capture value beyond the development of individual oil fields and use the emerging petroleum sector as a catalyst for wider economic growth.





 

TotalEnergies’ Venus discovery is technically ready to move toward a Final Investment Decision, with negotiations on fiscal terms still underway. The project’s development concept targets around 150,000 barrels per day at peak production, with first oil potentially around 2030. FEED has been completed and major contractors selected, bringing Namibia’s first potential deepwater oil development closer to execution.

The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home

Meanwhile, the Orange Basin continues to attract major international players. TotalEnergies and Galp strengthened their positions across the Venus and Mopane discoveries in 2025, with TotalEnergies becoming operator of Mopane and Galp taking a participating interest in Venus. In August 2026, Equinor agreed to acquire a 17.4% stake in Chevron’s PEL 90, marking its first upstream entry into a new country since 2017. The block is expected to see another exploration well before the end of the year.

The scale of investment now being contemplated makes the question of local economic participation increasingly urgent. Namibia’s draft Local Content Policy identifies the development of national capabilities, employment, local procurement and stronger domestic value chains as central to ensuring that petroleum resources generate benefits beyond government revenues. The government has also highlighted technical training and partnerships with universities and industry as priorities for preparing Namibians for the emerging oil and gas sector.

For Namibia, this means moving beyond an export-led model in which capital, equipment and specialist expertise flow in and crude flows out. Developing local suppliers, financing Namibian businesses, building research and training hubs and creating opportunities for joint ventures could help establish capabilities that extend well beyond the life of individual oil projects. The opportunity spans engineering and fabrication, logistics, marine services, environmental management, digital technologies and other areas of the petroleum supply chain.

“The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Namibia has a chance to build a competitive African energy industry around its discoveries – one that creates jobs, develops local companies, transfers technology and gives Namibians a meaningful stake in the country’s energy future.”

The session will look beyond first oil itself to the ecosystem required to sustain production and translate upstream investment into long-term industrial development. With Venus, Mopane and further Orange Basin exploration moving toward development, Namibia has an opportunity to establish the commercial partnerships, financing structures and technical capabilities needed to ensure its petroleum boom becomes an economy-wide growth story.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.




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BUTEC, secures major Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Casablanca Waste-to-Energy Project

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BUTEC

Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ –The consortium comprising Nareva, Kanadevia Inova and Itochu Corporation, through its 33.5-year concession agreement with the Municipality of Casablanca, has entrusted BUTEC (www.BUTEC.com) with a major Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Casablanca’s landmark Waste-to-Energy (WtE) project, leveraging BUTEC’s multidisciplinary engineering and contracting capabilities for one of Morocco’s most significant waste management and energy recovery developments.

 

For the delivery of this landmark project, BUTEC has joined forces with the Switzerland-based Kanadevia Inova, a global leader in Waste-to-Energy and renewable gas solutions.

Located northwest of the Mediouna landfill in the Casablanca-Settat region of the Kingdom of Morocco, this ultra-large waste incineration facility will process approximately 1.5 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste annually, significantly reducing reliance on landfill.

By diverting the waste from landfill and converting it into energy, this plant is expected to prevent up to 1.0 tonne of CO₂-equivalent emissions per tonne of waste while generating 126 MWe of baseload electricity.

BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector

Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management, while supporting Morocco’s broader energy transition and long-term decarbonization ambitions.

BUTEC’s Scope of Work:

While Kanadevia Inova is responsible for the technology and the process part of the EPC works, as well as operations support, long-term maintenance, and financing of the facility, BUTEC will be responsible for civil works for the whole facility and for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of Non-Process buildings, facilities, and associated works, including all civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, as well as the external infrastructure works required for the Project.

Commenting on the significance of the award, Raymond Daou (SVP Strategy & Business Development) stated:

“Building on our affiliates’ long-standing presence in Morocco, where BUTEC has established itself as one of the country’s leading players in Electromechanical Solutions, the Group is reinforcing, through this landmark contract, its contribution to the Kingdom’s sustainable development ambitions.

Furthermore, with three consecutive large-scale Waste-to-Energy projects across the geographies in which it operates, BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector. This latest award confirms once again our ability to combine multidisciplinary engineering expertise, strong local execution capabilities and close cooperation with world-leading process technology partners to deliver complex energy and environmental facilities.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BUTEC Group.

 

 




 

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Asantehene opens Africa Business Investment Summit in Washington, DC with a $500m Investment Target in Africa

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Asantehene

The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors

 




 

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ —

  • Asantehene presented a royal vision for Africa’s economic renaissance
  • Day 1 proceeded under the theme – The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”
  • Fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe on The Diaspora Return

The Africa Business Investment Summit 2026 opened this morning at the MGM National Harbor, in Washington D.C. Metro, with a royal keynote by the Summit’s Patron, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, as the Millennium Excellence Week hosts its first event outside of Ghana.

The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors. They were drawn together under a single mandate: to facilitate $500 million in structured capital commitments between African deal originators and US institutional capital during the two-day summit.

Delivering his keynote address, His Majesty articulated a vision of African economic sovereignty where the diaspora serves as architects of continental development. Speaking with characteristic authority, His Majesty called on African governments, diaspora communities, and international institutional partners to align capital, policy frameworks, and political will behind a shared agenda for the continent’s economic future.

In his address, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene said: “For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies. We have heard of the roads not built, the electricity not generated, the jobs not created, the capital not available, and the institutions not strong enough,”

For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies

Speaking further he noted that “Africa must no longer be regarded merely as a continent of future potential. Africa is already becoming a central part of the future global economy, and those who understand this early will position themselves advantageously.”

Honorable Sampson Ahi, Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, who represented the President of the Republic of Ghana, detailed macroeconomic indicators signalling domestic economic recovery and industrial policy priorities: “ Our ambition is transformation. We want an economy that moves beyond exporting raw materials to manufacturing finished products, creating value, jobs, and shared prosperity. We want capital that drives productivity, entrepreneurship, and innovation. This is the philosophy behind the twenty-four-hour economy program, which is a commitment stimulating round-the-clock production, improving productivity, and developing a competitive and export-oriented economy.”

The first day of the summit concluded under the theme “The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”, exploring through a series of plenary sessions the most pressing deal themes in US–Africa investment today.

Programme spotlights included: The Diaspora Return, a fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe, Beyond Remittances: Building Africa’s Sixth Region, diaspora capital beyond transfers, The New Gold Rush: Africa’s Seat at America’s Critical Minerals Table,  Ghana’s Gold Moment: From the Gold Coast to Global Market Power, The Diaspora Dollar: Fintech and the Next Remittance Corridor and Powering the Continent: Energy, Infrastructure and the US–Africa Partnership

The second and final day of the event will continue to explore investment opportunities across the continent through sector spotlights on the Creative Economy, Health & Pharma, Technology, and Digital Financial Services.

Following these plenaries, the event will conclude with bilateral investment meetings that will translate the vision outlined in the plenary hall into concrete investment decisions.

Review Day 1 Plenary Sessions: https://apo-opa.co/4cPkRRP

Watch Day 2 Live Stream: https://apo-opa.co/4gYIxFP

  • Day 2 to explore investment opportunities and conclude with bilateral investment meetings

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Millennium Excellence Foundation.

 

 




 

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