African NDC Investment Awards Shortlist Announced by Africa investor

September 1, 2024, NDC Investment Awards Media

The shortlist for the highly coveted NDC Investment Awards, sponsored by the African Green Infrastructure Investment Bank (AfGIIB), was unveiled today by Africa Investor (Ai), the continent’s leading institutional investment platform.

These first-of-their-kind global African NDC Investment Awards have rapidly grown in influence and stature. Now in their third year, these awards were first announced at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, inaugurally presented at COP27 in Egypt, showcased during the successful Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, and the second edition was presented at COP28 in Dubai.

Designed to raise ambition, foster investment collaboration, globally recognize achievements across the main NDC project sectors, and inspire and reward governments, developers, investors, philanthropies, and development partners, these awards drive private climate capital mobilization and improve the investment readiness of Africa’s NDC projects, which require over $3 trillion of investment by 2030.

The urgency and importance of crowding in the institutional investment community and philanthropies into African NDC-aligned investments, are heightened by the continent’s declining Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows.

Institutional Investor-Public Partnerships (IIPPs) and blended investments are indispensable for co-creating bankable NDC-aligned projects and bridging the continent’s $3 trillion investment gap at scale and speed. The transformative role of entrepreneurial philanthropies, spearheading and catalyzing Africa’s private capital mobilization paradigm shift – rendering African Green Industrial Infrastructure a globally competitive investable asset class, which makes development investable, not investment developmental, cannot be overstated.

This year’s prestigious awards will honor several African Heads of State with the NDC Presidential Investment Statesman of the Year Awards. For the first time, the awards will also feature two exciting new private capital mobilization categories: Best Natural Capital NDC Investment Initiative of the Year and Best Green Industrialization NDC Investment Initiative of the Year.

The shortlist includes 160 public and private sector-sponsored projects, representing over USD 200bn of NDC financing and investment opportunities, from 43 African countries, covering all 5 African sub-regions.

Commenting on the shortlist announcement, Dr. Hubert Danso, Chairman of Africa Investor (Ai) and the Chair of the NDC Investment Awards Adjudication panel, said, “

“Africa’s NDCs are at a critical juncture as countries finalize their five-year updates due in February 2025. This moment presents a significant opportunity for governments to raise ambition, make NDCs investable and foster institutional investor-public partnerships to mobilize private capital at the speed and scale needed, to deliver the continent’s $3-7 trillion of NDC investment opportunities.

We are therefore delighted to see how these NDC Investment Awards, since their inception three years ago, have not only mobilized investments, but also catalyzed a groundswell of collaboration and alignment between the institutional investment community, the private sector, governments, philanthropies, and development finance partners. Together, they are working in support of institutional investor-public partnerships to co-create, develop, finance, and invest in African NDC-aligned projects and programs as an investable asset class.”

The 2024 NDC Investment Awards winners will be announced at the Ai NDC Institutional Investment Summit & Awards in New York, on September 24th during the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week.

The prestigious NDC Presidential Investment Statesman of the Year Awards will also presented at the Awards ceremony.

See the below 2024 NDC Investment Awards shortlist nominees:

Best Waste NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP)
    Zoomlion Ghana Limited
  2. Cairo Clean and Green Initiative
    United National Development Programme (UNDP)
  3. Tunis Waste-to-Energy Project
    German Development Bank (KfW)
  4. Rabat Waste Management and Recycling Program
    French Development Agency (AFD)
  5. T3: Increasing Plastic Recycling
    Ellen MacArthur Foundation
  6. Kigali Waste-to-Energy Project
    The World Bank Group
  7. Ekurhuleni Waste Management Program
    Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Council
  8. Cape Town Waste Management Strategy
    City of Cape Town’s Directorate of Urban Management
  9. Maputo Waste Management and Recycling Initiative
    The European Union (EU)
  10. Transportation Emission Reduction Project (10% Ethanol Blending to Fuel)
    The World Bank Group

 

Best Energy NDC Investment of the Year

  1. Tunisia’s Solar Energy Initiative
    French Development Agency (AFD))
  2. Ethiopia’s Geothermal Energy Development Project
    Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility (GRMF)
  3. Lake Turkana Wind Power Project
    Lake Turkana Wind Power Limited
  4. Microsoft and G42 Ai Kenya Renewables Investment Progrogramme
    Microsoft and G42
  5. Kangnas Wind Farm
    Lekela Power
  6. Mozambique’s Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Project
    Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM)
  7. Nigerian Electrification Project
    Rural Electrification Agency (REA) of Nigeria
  8. Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex
    Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN)
  9. Just Energy Transition Project
    African Development Bank Group, FCDO
  10. Facilitating Access by Disadvantaged Communities and Women to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)
    Global LPG Partnership

 

Best Transport NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. The Lobito Corridor
    The Lobito Corridor Investment Promotion Authority
  2. Accra Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System
    Ministry of Transport (Ghana)
  3. CFAO Electric Busses Investment
    CFAO Motors (part of the CFAO Group)
  4. Addis Ababa Light Rail
    The Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) and the Export-Import Bank of China
  5. Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit
    The Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency (DART)
  6. Johannesburg BRT System
    The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA)
  7. Cape Town MyCiTi Bus Service
    The City of Cape Town’s Transport and Urban Development Authority
  8. Freetown Electric Bus System
    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  9. Dakar All-Electric Bus Network
    The French Development Agency (AFD)
  10. Maputo Bus Rapid Transit System
    Maputo Municipal Council

 

Best Urban Development NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Smart City Casablanca
    Casablanca Urban Agency
  2. New Cairo Capital
    New Administrative Capital for Urban Development Company (NAC)
  3. Konza Technopolis
    Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KTDA)
  4. Green City Kigali
    Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA)
  5. Johannesburg Eco District
    Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA)
  6. Cotonou Green City Initiative
    Ministry of Living Environment and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Benin
  7. Kinshasa Urban Development Initiative
    Ministry of Urban Planning and Public Works of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  8. Maputo Urban Resilience Initiative
    Maputo Municipal Council
  9. Windhoek Smart City Initiative
    Ministry of Urban and Rural Development of Namibia
  10. Chongwe Smart City Renewable Energy Project
    Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development of Zambia

 

Best Forestry NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Nigeria Reforestation Project
    Federal Ministry of Environment of Nigeria
  2. Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative
    Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change of Ethiopia
  3. Ghana Forest Investment Program
    Forestry Commission of Ghana
  4. Kenyan Forest Conservation and Management Project
    Kenyan Forestry Service (KFS)
  5. Ugandan Forest Restoration Initiative
    Ministry of Water and Environment of Uganda
  6. Moroccan National Reforestation Plan
    High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight Against Desertification of Morocco
  7. Tunisian Forest Management Project
    Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries of Tunisia
  8. Gabon Sustainable Forestry Initiative
    Ministry of Forests, Oceans, Environment, and Climate Change of Gabon
  9. Cameroon Reforestation and Conservation Project
    Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife of Cameroon
  10. Republic of Congo Forest Management Program
    Ministry of Forest Economy of the Republic of Congo

 

Best Financeable NDC City Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Casablanca Urban Green Spaces Project
    Casablanca Urban Agency
  2. Urban Waste-to-Energy Programs
    National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)
  3. Konza Technopolis
    Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KTDA)
  4. Kigali Innovation City
    Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
  5. Tatu City
    Rendeavour
  6. The Ghana Smart Cities Project
    Ghanaian Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation
  7. Johannesburg Green Urban Development Project
    The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA)
  8. Tunis Sustainable City Initiative
    Tunisian Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment
  9. Accra Urban Development Initiative
    Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)
  10. Nairobi Urban Biodiversity Mapping and Investment Initiative
    Nairobi City County Government’s Department of Environment, Water, Energy, and Natural Resources

 

Best GreenTech NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. M-KOPA Solar
    International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  2. SunCulture
    Acumen Fund
  3. Sun Exchange
    European Investment Bank (EIB)
  4. KarmSolar
    EDF Renewables
  5. Easy Solar
    Acumen Fund
  6. Jaza Energy
    Global Environment Facility (GEF)
  7. BBOXX
    International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  8. Clean Technology Initiative
    TDB and African Development Bank Group
  9. Persistent Energy
    Shell Foundation, Acumen Bomboo Finance
  10. Oolu Solar
    BBOXX

 

Best Agriculture NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Ethiopia Climate Resilient Wheat Initiative
    International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  2. Kenya Sustainable Agriculture Project
    United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  3. Ghana Climate-Smart Cocoa Program
    World Cocoa Foundation
  4. Nigerian Green Agriculture Initiative
    The World Bank Group
  5. Rwanda Climate-Smart Agriculture Program
    International Finance Corporation
  6. Zambia Climate-Smart Agriculture Initiative
    The African Development Bank Group
  7. Uganda Agricultural Adaptation Project
    The Government of Uganda, The Global Environment Facility (GEF), The World Bank Group
  8. Egypt Sustainable Agriculture Project
    United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  9. Tunisia Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
    German Development Bank (KfW)
  10. Low Carbon Transformation of the Rwandan Tea Processing Sector
    Green Climate Fund (GCF)

 

Best Health NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Project Evolve: Climate x Health Infrastructure Investment Fund
    PATH
  2. Health Impact Credit
    Health Finance Institute
  3. Ethiopian Health Resilience Initiative
    Management Sciences for Health (MSH)
  4. Kenyan Climate-Resilient Health Initiative
    African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)
  5. Ghana Health and Climate Project
    The World Bank Group
  6. Nigerian Climate-Resilient Health Initiative
    The World Health Organization (WHO)
  7. Moroccan Health and Climate Resilience Project
    The World Health Organization (WHO)
  8. Tunisian Health Resilience Initiative
    United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  9. Ugandan Health and Climate Project
    Tetra Tech
  10. HETA: Powering Health with Clean Energy in Africa
    Health Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance (HETA)

 

Best Water NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project
    Kenyan Ministry of Water, The World Bank Group
  2. Bulk Water Transfer in Zambia Project
    The African Development Bank Group
  3. Nigerian Urban Water Sector Reform Project
    Nigerian Ministry of Water Resources, The World Bank Group
  4. Rwanda Water and Sanitation Project
    The World Bank Group
  5. Gabon Water Supply Improvement Project
    The African Development Bank Group
  6. Cameroon Water and Sanitation Initiative
    The African Development Bank Group
  7. Republic of Congo Water Sector Development Project
    The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Congo
  8. Liberia Water and Sanitation Project
    United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  9. Resilient Water Accelerator
    Resilient Water Accelerator (RWA)
  10. Mozambique Water and Sanitation Project
    The World Bank Group

 

Best Investable NDC Adaptation Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Esther Kimani – Innovative Solution for Smallholder Farmers
    The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
  2. Climate-Resilient Wheat Value Chain Development
    The African Development Bank Group
  3. The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program
    Global Center on Adaptation, The African Development Bank Group
  4. The Climate Adaptation Strategy and Planning Initiative
    PreventionWeb
  5. IFC Climate Adaptation Investment Opportunities
    The International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  6. CRAKS: Building Community Resilience through Agricultural Adaptation
    Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and IDRC
  7. LAMA: Locally Led Adaptation Metrics for Africa
    The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada
  8. Morocco Solar Program
    Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN)
  9. Blue Co: The Blue Economy Co-Investment Platform Small Island Developing
    The Green Climate Fund (GCF)
  10. The Integrated Flood Management for Shabelle and Juba Rivers project
    Somalia Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MOEWR)

 

Best Bankable Donor NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. USTDA and ILN Strategic Climate Finance Mobilization Partnership
    USTDA and Investor Leadership Network (ILN)
  2. Morocco Green Agriculture Program
    Morocco Green Agriculture Program
  3. Renewable Energy YeildCo’s for Africa
    MOBILIST, Revego Fund Managers
  4. Climate Finance Partnership
    Trade and Development Bank (TDB) Group and GGGI
  5. Western Area Power Generation Project
    Milele Energy and TCQ Power
  6. Lake Turkana Wind Power Project
    Lake Turkana Wind Power Project
  7. Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund (ICRF)
    The Green Climate Fund (GCF)
  8. Great Green Wall Initiative
    The Great Green Wall Secretariat
  9. Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP 2)
    GCFt
  10. Global Environment Facility – Chad
    Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF)

 

Best Blended Investment NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Afreximbank Climate Finance Program
    African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)
  2. The World Bank Group and AFD Climate- Projects- A Partnership for Global Progress
    The World Bank Group, Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
  3. Green buildings and retrofits for affordable housing
    CAEP – Deloitte
  4. Namibian Hydrogen Fund
    Namibia Hydrogen Fund Managers (Nam H2)
  5. Africa Green Infrastructure Alliance (AGIA)
    The African Development Bank Group
  6. LeapFrog Climate Innovation Fund
    LeapFrog Investments
  7. Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund (ICRF)
    The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
  8. Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF)
    Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Acumen Fund, Green Climate Fund (GCF)
  9. Kawisafi Ventures
    Acumen Fund
  10. SDG Loan Fund
    The SDG Loan Fund

 

Best Youth NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Green Jobs Platform
    Jacob’s Ladder Africa
  2. Youth In Renewable Energy Movement Campaign- Ghana
    Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND), UNDP Ghana
  3. Youth Climate Council (YCC) in Uganda
    Ministry of Water and Environment Uganda, UNDP Uganda, Oxfam International
  4. South Sudan Youth Enterprise Development and Capacity Building Project
    South Sudan Ministry of Youth and Sports
  5. Botswana Youth Empowerment Projects
    Botswana Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport, and Culture
  6. The Namibian Youth Coalition on Climate Change (NYCCC)
    German Development Agency (GIZ), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and the UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency (YOUNGO) LCOY Working Group
  7. Green Takween-Algeria
    German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) and the Goethe-Institut
  8. Chadian Youth: The Strength to Learn, the Courage to Engage in Entrepreneurship
    Ministry of Youth and Sports, Chad
  9. USAID and Kenya STEM Education Partnership
    USAID, Government of Kenya
  10. Generation Unlimited 9JA
    UNICEF, Government of Nigeria

 

Best Natural Capital NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. Congo Basin Natural Capital Accounting Project
    Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
  2. Rwanda Catalytic Green Investment Facility (RCGIF)
    The African Development Bank Group
  3. African Parks Foundation Currency for Nature in Africa
    African Parks Network
  4. Biodiversity Credits Initiative
    The World Economic Forum
  5. TDB and UNEP Climate Finance Collaboration
    Trade and Development Bank Group, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  6. Kelp Blue
    Ocean 14 Capital
  7. PLANETA
    USAID
  8. Gabonese Association of the Pan African Forest Certification System (PAFC GABON)
    PAFC GABON
  9. Sustainable Forest Management for Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
    The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
  10. The Verifiable Nature Units (VNUs) Initiative
    United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

 

Best Green Industrialization NDC Investment Initiative of the Year

  1. The Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII)
    African Union Commission and COP28 Presidency
  2. TDB and AfDB Clean Technology Initiative
    TDB, The African Development Bank Group
  3. Zambia and DRC Transboundary Battery and Electric Vehicle Special Economic Zone
    ECA, Afreximbank
  4. Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund (ICRF)
    Green Climate Fund (GCF), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
  5. U.S.-Kenya Climate and Clean Energy Industrial Partnership
    The Government of Kenya and USAID
  6. BlackRock Climate Finance Partnership (CFP) Investments
    BlackRock
  7. TDB Class C Green+ Shares
    Trade and Development Bank Group
  8. $100 Million Capital Pool for African Entrepreneurs
    Africa Finance Corporation, Arise IIP
  9. Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative (AREMI)
    ClimateWorks Foundation, African Climate Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, CREIA, SEforALL
  10. Schonau Solar Energy
    Emesco