If you are looking to understand or invest in large scale renewable energy on the African continent, look no further! Today, Development Reimagined has launched our new Renewable Energy Briefings. The briefings are designed to provide Chinese and other investors with a comprehensive analysis of renewable energy opportunities in 5 identified African countries that offer significant untapped opportunities and a strong demand for energy investments.
The briefings, entitled “Green Horizons in 2024: Exploring Africa’s Renewable Energy Potential for Chinese Investors” identify Zambia, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Uganda as the top five priority investment destinations for Chinese investors in Africa. Each briefing provides a data-driven analysis of each country’s renewable energy potential, regulatory landscape, existing infrastructure, and investment opportunities. Additionally, the briefings highlight the crucial role that Chinese companies can play in Africa’s renewable energy transition and offers strategic recommendations for further investment.
The African continent boasts abundant renewable energy resources, including sunlight, wind, hydro, and geothermal potential. These resources can play a vital role in both Africa’s sustainable development and the global transition to a low-carbon future. However, financial constraints and underinvestment have prevented many African countries from fully harnessing their renewable energy potential. African countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) between 2020 and 2030 demand an estimated US$2.8 trillion, surpassing 93% of Africa’s collective GDP. Despite governments pledging roughly 10% of this sum, there remains a significant funding gap, particularly in sectors like energy and transport. Chinese investors can bridge this gap by providing crucial funding, technology, and expertise to help African nations maximise their renewable energy potential.
The selection of the top five countries was based on seven key criteria, including Total Climate Finance (TCF), Electricity Access (EA), Chinese Foreign Direct Investments (CFDI), Renewable Energy Capacity (2022), Deployment of Policies (DOP), Percentage of Renewable Energy Source (RES) in Total Electricity Generated, and Renewable Energy Potential (REP). These criteria were divided into two categories: those showcasing a need for investment and those highlighting potential, opportunities, capacity, and strong relationship with China.
Identified top five priority investment destinations
All five Renewable Energy Briefings aim to equip Chinese investors with the essential insights needed to navigate the renewable energy markets of these top-tier destinations successfully. By providing detailed and tailored investor briefings for each country, Development Reimagined is ensuring that Chinese investors have the information they need to make well-informed and successful investments in Africa’s green energy sector.
For the next step, DR is planning to organise an investment tour in some of the identified countries in September 2024. The tour will aim not only to visit the sites for potential investment opportunities but also to stimulate dialogue and brainstorm practical partnerships with African business leaders and government officials to deliver on renewable energy.
Find all the five briefs below.
Our Angola investment brief (English and Chinese)
Our DRC investment brief (English and Chinese)
Our Mozambique investment brief (English and Chinese)
Our Uganda investment brief (English and Chinese)
Our Zambia investment brief (English and Chinese)
And if you’d like access to our Introduction and Methodology, you can find that here in English and here in Chinese)
For more information about the Renewable Energy Briefing, please contact Climate Program Manager Ms. Yike FU at yikefu@developmentreimagined.com .
29th February, 2024
