The European Union has announced a €545 million package to boost renewable energy investments across Africa.

The announcement, delivered via video message at the Global Citizen Festival on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, was disclosed in a statement on the EU’s website on Saturday.

According to the statement, the funding expands the clean energy initiatives of the EU and Team Europe in Africa, with new projects focused on electrification, modernising power grids, and enhancing access to renewable energy.

“Investing now in solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power is not just a moral and development imperative; it is also a strategic choice that strengthens supply chains, creates up to 38 million green jobs by 2030, and makes energy systems more resilient. Through the Global Gateway investment strategy, the European Union is helping accelerate this transition, delivering major investments in generation, transmission, and cross-border electricity trade, while building stable international partnerships,” the statement said.

According to the EU, the projects will cover nine African countries. These include €359.4 million for a high-voltage power project in Côte d’Ivoire to strengthen regional energy distribution, €59.1 million for rural electrification in Cameroon, €45.5 million to expand access to affordable renewable energy in Somalia, and €3.5 million to improve access to solar, wind, and hydropower in the Republic of Congo.

Other allocations include €25.9 million for the Renewable Lesotho programme to harness wind and hydro energy, €2 million to prepare for a large-scale solar park and regional energy trade in Ghana, €33.2 million to expand rural electrification through mini-grids in Madagascar, and €13 million to support low-emission energy transition and promote private sector participation in Mozambique.

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the event, said, “The choices Africa makes today are shaping the future of the entire world. A clean energy transition on the continent will create jobs, stability, growth and the delivery of our global climate goals. The European Union, with the Global Gateway investment plan, is fully committed to supporting Africa on its clean energy path.”

Despite Africa’s vast renewable energy potential, nearly 600 million people still lack access to electricity, the statement noted. The commission added that investments in renewables could generate up to 38 million green jobs by 2030.

The ‘Scaling Up Renewables in Africa’ campaign is being implemented in partnership with the international advocacy group Global Citizen, with policy support from the International Energy Agency.

In June, the EU also announced a €10.4 million investment in the Nigeria Solar for Health Project, which seeks to provide primary healthcare centres with reliable and sustainable solar energy solutions.