The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) is a multi-donor Special Fund managed by the African Development Bank. It provides catalytic finance to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. SEFA offers technical assistance and concessional finance instruments to remove market barriers, build a more robust pipeline of projects and improve the risk-return profile of individual investments. The Fund’s overarching goal is to contribute to universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services for all in Africa, in line with the New Deal on Energy for Africa and Mission 300.

Established in 2011 in partnership with the Government of Denmark, and with USD 587 million in cumulative contributions, SEFA has since received contributions from the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Germany, France, and Japan, and also from the Nordic Development Fund and the Global Energy Alliance from the People and Planet.

SEFA is housed in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department (PERN) under the Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth (PEVP) complex.

We provide technical assistance to support project preparation and create an enabling environment for sustainable energy. This assistance includes:

• grants for feasibility studies,
• environmental assessments, and
• detailed engineering designs, ensuring that projects are well-prepared for investment development.

Additionally, SEFA offers capacity-building and policy advisory services to assist governments and institutions in establishing regulatory frameworks that foster investment in renewable energy.