Centro de Recursos
New renewable energy academy for developers to help accelerate growth of off-grid sector in Africa
Three-day event hosted by UK-government funded Renewable Energy Performance Platform will bring together key industry stakeholders to provide applied learning and support to help prepare developers for their next stages of growth
London, 4 November, 2019: The Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP) is to host a three-day academy for nine of its off-grid renewable energy investees to help them implement their business plans and prepare for future growth.
The REPP Academy will take place in London starting on 6 November, and will see REPP-supported developers from across Africa working with REPP’s manager, Camco Clean Energy (Camco), on overcoming operational obstacles and devising 12-month project implementation plans. The one-to-one sessions will involve identifying with the developers the steps needed to scale their business, manage risks in their market segment, and access appropriate financing.
The mini-grid and solar home systems developers will also share their experiences and best practices with one another during the event, as well as investors and other industry-leading experts.
Geoff Sinclair, REPP Manager and Managing Director at Camco, said: “Both private and public sector investments in Africa’s clean energy future are at an all-time high, but progress in real terms is slowed by commercial and government-related obstacles.
“Through the one-to-one sessions, and by pooling the collective experiences and expertise of a wide range of influential sector stakeholders, the REPP Academy aims to provide an intensive course of applied learning to ensure developers deliver on their plans and are prepared for their next 12 to 18 months of fundraising.”
The REPP Academy is taking place in the conference rooms of Southwark Cathedral and will be delivered via a combination of cross-cutting group sessions and the bespoke individual workshops. Over the course of the three days, developers will take part in interactive sessions with 14 external sector experts representing donors, DFIs, private equity and other impact funds, and specialty consultancies, and have numerous networking opportunities.
Daniel Farchy, REPP Board member, said: “Through its investments, the REPP brings together a phenomenal and diverse group of developers providing innovative, clean energy access in investment environments that can often provide an array of challenges. By bringing these investees together, along with world-class sector experts, we hope to provide an opportunity for an exchange of experiences and solutions to help our investees move forward.”
The launch of the REPP Academy follows an upsurge in climate finance to support emerging markets. However, despite a steady increase in the number of off-grid communities getting first-time access to electricity in Africa, the rate of development is nowhere near the pace required to meet global climate and energy access goals.
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Notes to editors
Media contact
For all media enquiries and interview requests, please contact media@camco.energy or call Hugh Bowring on 07768 275731.
About REPP
The Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP) works to mobilise private sector development activity – and investment – in small to medium-sized projects (typically up to 25MW). It is supported with £148m funding from the UK’s International Climate Finance through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and to date has agreed contracts with 24 renewable energy projects across 13 countries, employing six different technologies, from off-grid solar mini-grids to grid-connected biomass and run-of-river hydro.
About Camco Clean Energy
A Camco Clean Energy is a global leader in sustainable energy projects finance. Its long-established position within Africa’s renewable energy sector enables the company to provide project developers and sponsors with a trusted combination of global access and local presence, enabling them to source the right financing solutions to develop and build projects.
Since formation, it has provided creative finance solutions to 180 projects worth $15bn, and in geographies as diverse as Zambia to Malaysia and the US to Uganda.
About the UK’s International Climate Finance
International Climate Finance is a UK Government commitment to support developing countries to respond to the challenges and opportunities of climate change. As part of this commitment, the UK is providing at least £5.8bn of ICF between 2016-2020, aiming for an even split between mitigation and adaptation. At the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019, the Prime Minister announced a doubling of our ICF to £11.6bn for the period 2021 to 2025. This places the UK amongst the world’s leading providers of climate finance. Programmes are focused on:
- Building the resilience of the poorest people and communities
- Ensuring that the vast expansion in infrastructure in developing countries is low-carbon
- Halting deforestation
