European and African business leaders and heads of state have announced a series of clean energy and infrastructure investment commitments at a recent gathering in Nairobi. Around 40 companies pledged approximately €27 billion (about $31.5 billion) across nearly 30 projects in Africa. These initiatives are projected to generate around €100 billion (about $116.5 billion) in revenue and create more than 600,000 jobs across the continent.
The broader objective is to strengthen industrial linkages and speed up Africa’s shift toward low-carbon energy systems. The energy sector received the largest share of investments, totaling around €14 billion (approximately $16.3 billion). Other key focus areas included agriculture, human capital, finance, artificial intelligence, industrial development, and the blue economy.
Kenya and France co-hosted the May 11–12 meeting, which organizers described as an effort to establish a “partnership of equals.” Relations between Africa and Europe, especially France, have long been shaped by a complex and often contentious colonial history.
French utility EDF has confirmed plans to develop around 2 gigawatts of hydropower projects across multiple African countries. French energy major TotalEnergies has also outlined more than $10 billion in planned investments by 2030, including about $2 billion for renewable energy projects in Rwanda and $400 million for clean cooking initiatives across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. In addition, TotalEnergies will collaborate with Ellipse Projects on hospital construction and renovation work valued at approximately $700 million.
Infrastructure investor Meridiam has committed $200 million to double the capacity of Kenya’s Kipeto wind power project. Global Telecom Holding has also pledged $350 million toward the development of a 250-megawatt solar power plant in Zambia.
Shipping company CMA CGM has partnered with African stakeholders in a $700 million upgrade of the port of Mombasa in Kenya. The project is aimed at enabling the facility to handle next-generation container vessels and incorporate energy-efficient smart port technologies.
The agreements also go beyond power generation to include transmission and energy access projects, with plans for modular bridge power plants in three countries and a $1.7 billion pipeline network in Côte d’Ivoire.
French development bank Bpifrance and Morocco’s OCP Group have launched the Seed of Africa Investment Fund, valued at $150 million, to support sustainable agro-industrial projects. The fund will focus on areas such as fertilizer innovation and production systems powered by renewable energy.
African leaders have emphasized that the continent should take a leading role in the global energy transition, citing its vast renewable energy potential. Speaking at the gathering, Kenyan President William Ruto stated, “For Africa, this energy transition must also be an industrial transition.
A final outcome document reviewed by Mongabay calls for stronger commitments to advance green industrialization through increased investment in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies. These include hydrogen, hydropower, geothermal energy, waste-to-energy systems, and nuclear power.