Dr. Kola Adesina, Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Enterprise Group, has emphasized the need for stronger mobilisation of sustainable investment and climate finance to drive Africa's growth and economic resilience. Speaking at a United Nations General Assembly roundtable on Sustainable Global Investment, Economic Resilience and Climate Financing, Adesina highlighted the importance of building productive economies that can withstand various shocks. Africa's growth ambitions depend on this approach.
The scale of the opportunity in Africa is substantial, with almost 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lacking access to electricity. The continent faces a significant infrastructure financing gap of between $68 billion and $108 billion annually. Adesina noted that Africa's most pressing challenge is expanding its productive capacity at scale, requiring sustained investment in energy, infrastructure, industry, agriculture, and enterprise development. This investment is crucial for creating jobs, strengthening competitiveness, and supporting long-term resilience.
The global investment landscape presents significant opportunities for Africa, with foreign direct investment reaching approximately $1.6 trillion in 2025. Assets linked to sustainable investment strategies have grown to $16.7 trillion globally, reflecting increasing investor demand for projects that deliver both financial and developmental value. Adesina highlighted the importance of sustainable investment, economic resilience, and climate finance as interconnected priorities, particularly as Africa faces significant infrastructure, energy, food security, and employment challenges.
Climate finance is a critical enabler of resilient growth, particularly as African economies face increasing exposure to climate-related risks. Despite contributing less than 4% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, African countries are disproportionately affected by droughts, floods, and extreme heat. Adesina emphasized that Africa requires substantial investment not only to grow but also to protect infrastructure, businesses, food systems, and communities that underpin development.
African countries require an estimated $277 billion annually to implement their climate commitments, compared with climate-finance flows of roughly $30 billion annually. Adesina underscored the need for innovative financing structures that can unlock more capital for mitigation and adaptation projects. He highlighted Sahara's investments across LNG, LPG, gas-to-power infrastructure, and logistics, alongside its commitment to a net-zero ambition by 2060.
Adesina urged stronger project preparation, increased mobilisation of African institutional capital, deeper local-currency financing markets, and greater regional collaboration in energy, transport, and logistics infrastructure. He emphasized that Africa's opportunity lies in building resilient prosperity, where investment translates into productive capacity, jobs, reliable infrastructure, and sustainable economic growth that endures for generations.
The discussion aligns with Sahara's Beyond XXX platform, a future-focused commitment to advancing sustainable development through investments, innovation, talent, collaboration, environmental stewardship, and solutions that create long-term value across Africa and beyond. Adesina concluded that sustainable investment and climate financing can help unlock a future of resilient prosperity across the continent.
Key points
- Africa requires an estimated $277 billion annually to implement its climate commitments.
- The continent faces a significant infrastructure financing gap of between $68 billion and $108 billion annually.
- Almost 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity.
