About

P4G launched its Global Hub last month by welcoming international leaders from government, business and civil society to the Initiative’s inaugural Board Meeting in Washington, DC. Over 40 attendees from P4G's eight partner countries – Denmark, Kenya, Ethiopia, The Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Chile, Colombia and Mexico – and organizational partners C40 Cities, Global Green Growth Institute, World Economic Forum and World Resources Institute, joined a discussion that underscored P4G’s mission to support innovative public-private partnerships to advance solutions for food and agriculture, water, energy, healthy cities and the circular economy.

The meeting was co-hosted by P4G Board of Directors co-chair Ulla Tørnæs, Minister of Development Cooperation, Denmark and Andrew Steer, President and CEO of World Resources Institute, which is the managing partner for P4g.

“Wherever I go, whether home or abroad, when I meet businesses, NGOs, heads of states of government, international organizations and civil society, I have encountered nothing but huge interest in and support for P4G,” Tørnæs remarked.

Steer echoed this international and cross-sectoral captivation with P4G by emphasizing its necessity: “In today’s world, the important initiatives that make the biggest differences are actually multi-stakeholder. They involve the public sector, they involve the private sector. What P4G is trying to do, and will succeed in doing, is to identify some of the most exciting ideas out there and support them, elevate them, encourage them, hold them accountable and move them forward.”

Board members from the public sector emphasized how P4G’s network will be essential to delivering results based on what governments around the world are working to make possible. Cabinet Secretary of the National Treasury of Kenya Henry Rotich noted P4G’s foundational role in implementing Kenya’s 5-year sustainable development agenda. Ethiopia's Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Gemedo Dalle Tussie emphasized how collaboration is the only way to achieve any world-wide goals, and thus the “increasing importance of public-private partnerships to help move green growth focus towards shared areas of concern.”

Representing the private sector, Novozymes President and CEO Peder Holk Nielsen expressed that “the SDGs are an inventory of business opportunities,” crystallizing the fundamental relationship between innovation, development and growth. Nielsen continued with his vision for P4G to occupy this area of crossover – and look to “spark interest, grow businesses, create jobs and support the SDG agenda.”

From civil society, C40 Cities Executive Director Mark Watts remarked, “While we’re focused on getting political commitment, political commitment alone cannot deliver the scale and pace of change that’s necessary to tackle the sustainable development goals. Above all else, we’re going to need public-private partnerships to deliver the projects that governments are now making possible. And that’s what I think P4G really uniquely offers as an opportunity.”

Each speaker, from their perspectives at the public, private and organizational levels, shared their understanding that the organizations and governments they represent cannot pursue pervasive success without the buy-in, trust and thought leadership of those on adjacent levels.

About

Today at the UN headquarters, leaders from government, business and civil society launched P4G, a pioneering new initiative to catalyze solutions for inclusive, sustainable economic growth.

P4G will create a space for innovative partnerships with businesses, national and city leaders, financiers, and community development advocates to develop and deploy powerful solutions in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Partners include the governments of Chile, Denmark, Ethiopia, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, and Vietnam, the C40 network of 91 major cities and leaders from business and international organizations.

Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet addressed the gathering, underscoring the importance of partnerships that can accelerate sustainable development across sectors and national borders.

September 20, 2017

About

P4G is pleased to announce its 2018 Scale-Up Partnership Finalists. These eight partnerships were selected from a global competition that attracted 450 nominations from 80 countries. As scale-up partnership finalists, each partnership is receiving facilitation support to advance their project’s plans and is under consideration to receive up to US$ 1 million in scale-up funding. P4G will announce the partnerships receiving scale-up funding at the P4G Copenhagen Summit.

Each of these partnerships met P4G criteria and presented innovative solutions in one or more of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and circular economy.

“We’re excited to share these eight stories as excellent examples of what a P4G partnership can be,” said P4G Global Director Ian de Cruz. “In addition to our start-up finalists, announced in August, our scale-up finalists and facilitated partnerships represent the diversity with which we can look to achieve inclusive growth and implement the sustainable development goals. These partnerships tangibly demonstrate how we are bringing growth, development and climate agendas together.”

See the 2018 P4G Scale-Up Partnerships below:

About

RELEASE
 

P4G Contact: Sangeetha Sarma, Head of Communications, sangeetha.sarma@p4gpartnerships.org

Washington DC, January 28, 2020—P4G, Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030, launched today its call for applications for the 2020 State-of-the-Art Partnership Awards. These awards are presented annually to public-private partnerships that have achieved measurable success based on innovation, impact and financial sustainability.

To be eligible for consideration, all partnerships must have at least one stakeholder from the government, private and civil society sectors. Partnerships must apply online at p4gpartnerships.org/content/state-art-partnership-awards by Friday, March 27.

P4G and a panel of expert judges will select a winner from each of the following five SDG areas:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production (Circular Economy)

This year, all five State-of-the-Art Partnership finalists will be invited to the P4G Seoul Summit from June 28 – 30, 2020 to present their business models and successes to some of the world's most influential leaders in green growth.

In 2019, The Women’s Livelihood Bond Series, a partnership focused on the intersection of women’s empowerment and zero hunger, was named the State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year. The award was announced at a P4G Awards Luncheon on the sidelines of the UN Climate Action Summit. The First Lady of the Republic of Colombia María Juliana Ruiz Sandoval presented the award.

“We were so honored to win the Partnership of the Year Award in 2019’s State-of-the-Art Partnership Award process. With the help of the P4G Award, we’re changing the narrative about underserved communities, and especially underserved women – by positioning them as solution-builders rather than victims. Having the legitimacy of this award also helped our investors recognize the strength of our product and understand that social and environmental good goes hand-in-hand with economic growth.” – Durreen Shahnaz, CEO and Founder of Impact Investment Exchange (IIX).The awards give partnerships visibility and access to an influential global audience of heads of state, CEOS, investors, civil society leaders and fellow partnerships, especially through P4G’s partner countries and partner organizations. All winning partnerships will be promoted on P4G’s digital media and shared with international news outlets.

“Our State-of-the-Art Partnerships represent the best of public-private partnerships and serve as role models for other partnerships looking to have a significant impact on SDGs. Through their adoption into P4G’s strong global network, they inspire existing P4G partnerships and also pose transformative and proven approaches that, through additional funding opportunities with P4G, can be amplified on the global scale,” said P4G Global Director, Ian de Cruz.

For more information about the 2020 State-of-the-Art Partnership Awards, please visit the P4G website.

About P4G

P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – is funding over 30 public-private partnerships with projects in developing countries. P4G is a collaborative partnership among 12 partner countries: Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Vietnam. P4G is funded by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands and hosted at World Resources Institute. Other partner organizations include C40 Cities, Global Green Growth Institute, International Finance Corporation, World Economic Forum and the United Nations Global Compact.

About

P4G Head of Partnerships Robyn McGuckin and Head of Strategy and Engagement Leila Yim Surratt traveled to Zambia, South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia last month to contribute to the continued growth of African P4G National Platforms, strengthen vital relationships and further accelerate P4G partnerships functioning in these areas.

                In Zambia, the focus surrounded P4G 2018 scale-up partnership Africa GreenCo, an initiative that will act as an intermediary creditworthy off-taker for renewable energy power purchase agreements across the region. The partnership, initially functioning in Zambia, where severe drought is causing adverse effects to a hydropower-dependent population, will look to scale the supply of renewable energy across Sub-Sahara Africa. McGuckin, along with Africa GreenCo Founder and CEO Ana Hajduka, met with multiple representatives across the Ministries of Energy, Finance and Planning to secure political and economic support for the partnership’s vision.

                In South Africa, Surratt presented at a P4G workshop included among the Africa Utility Week activities in Cape Town, and also met with prospective 2019 partnerships to further understand their proposed solutions for a green growth economy.

                At the workshop, Danish Ambassador to South Africa Tobias Elling Rehfield and Leanne Richards of the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Faye Brownell of the uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership, a 2019 partnership finalist, joined Surratt in presenting to approximately 30 attendees about their work with P4G and how it fits into the initiative’s mission and vision for the future.

Surratt reflected, “Our visit to South Africa, and especially this workshop, was especially valuable as an introduction to the P4G’s system change approach for potential new partners and partnerships.”

In Kenya and Ethiopia, both Surratt and McGuckin met with the respective country P4G National Platforms to further engage on their growth strategies and burgeoning P4G priorities.

In Ethiopia, Dawit Tedlla of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission joined Surratt and McGuckin in front of more than 20 stakeholders to discuss the partnership application process and to lay the groundwork for future P4G partnership applications. Throughout the trip, the leadership from these National Platform representatives was a strong endorsement of P4G's potential in Ethiopia as the country further advances their pursuit of green economic growth.

A similar spirit for P4G was evident in Kenya, where numerous events displayed significant enthusiasm for P4G growth and national ownership. Rachel Muthoga, Deputy CEO of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), along with Faith Ngige, KEPSA Public-Private Dialogue Officer, and Sophie Odupoy,  Director of Strategy and Communications for the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat, gave an overview of P4G’s Kenya National Platform’s progress, including their desire to convene local country partner embassies in Kenya to share P4G learnings and generate potential interest in partnerships. Later in the day, this same group ran a workshop for stakeholders who had previously submitted P4G partnership applications. The workshop was a critical moment for increasing understanding about P4G and its goals as well as curating continued interest for and engagement with the Kenya National Platform.

“We have a clear vision for how to further implement P4G in Kenya,” said Muthoga. “More and more, we are advocating for collective action in areas critical to our country’s economic and environmental vision. New projects and solutions that follow the P4G way will be important models for successful progress here.”

Finally, representatives of the P4G 2018 Partnership Sustainable Special Economic Zones Partnership (SSEZ) were present at meetings in both countries. The SSEZ partnership brings circular economy and sustainability approaches to special economic zones – areas that, while highly conducive to streamline trade, are not typically designed and operated with attention to sustainable practices. Initially implemented at the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL) free zone in Nigeria, the partnership aims to expand to zones in Ethiopia and Kenya.

In Ethiopia, Ade Okuwoga of Systemiq Addis Ababa provided insight on recent developments for the partnership’s expansion in Ethiopia, especially in agriculturally-oriented zones working in products such as coffee and oily seeds.

In Kenya, KEPSA CEO Carole Kariuki and Systemiq Head of Operations Robbie Marwick emphasized their support for SSEZ’s implementation in Kenya. The partnership is currently working with both organizations to assess potential operational sites across the country.

“The SSEZ partnership provides a truly transformative approach to systems that exist across the Africa continent. In Kenya – much like in many other African countries – industrial development is central to our progress. If, in partnership with SSEZ, we can pioneer a new and better way to approach this key component to national commerce, Kenya will be able to provide a model for similar projects around the world. We’re excited at this opportunity for leadership,” said Kariuki.  

                “It was great to include SSEZ in many of the important connections we made in both countries,” said McGuckin. “Already, we are seeing pick up on the partnership’s vision for a more circular approach to many of the activities that take place at special economic zones across the world. This is a truly innovative idea that we are excited to see extended in Kenya, Ethiopia and beyond.”

                Altogether, progress was evident at each stage of the trip, a promising outcome as P4G collects lessons from its inaugural year and plans for future progress.

About

ZAMBIA – OCTOBER 29, 2020 – P4G Partnership Africa GreenCo (GreenCo) announced this week the investment of USD 1.5m by Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) and Private Infrastructure Development Group’s InfraCo Africa (InfraCo). This investment completes the partnership’s operational establishment in Lusaka as an intermediary renewable energy buyer/supplier and power services provider.

GreenCo’s transformative role is to mobilize significant private sector investment for renewable energy, to strengthen the national Zambian and Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) electricity markets, and to facilitate a shift away from the current single buyer model.

Since 2018, P4G has collaborated with Africa GreenCo to sharpen its business and secure government approval for its implementation with a primary goal of reaching operationalization and implementation in Zambia and neighboring Southern African countries. P4G awarded Africa GreenCo two rounds of funding to achieve this milestone.

“Africa GreenCo's operationalization is an excellent example of tangible delivery of innovative business model to deliver on SDG 7 goal in Southern Africa region through strategic collaboration.  We welcomed Africa GreenCo to P4G's inaugural partnerships cohort in 2018; and since then, have been instrumental in refining its business model and generating interest among investors that has allowed it to operationalize. This investment will deliver the transformative impact of scaling the renewable energy transition in Southern Africa and improving clean energy access in the region,” said Sarbinder Singh, Director of Investments, P4G.

The Southern African region has great renewable energy potential and urgently needs more energy generation to support economic strength and recovery from COVID-19, and to provide clean and affordable energy to its citizens. GreenCo’s model offers key innovations in the architecture of the electricity market and achieves better value – with more electricity generation and improved security of supply – in partnership (rather than in competition) with established industry players.

“P4G’s acceleration workshop for GreenCo in 2019 was a pivotal moment for GreenCo’s implementation – gathering both our public sector partners from the Government of Zambia and potential investors.  P4G’s support contributed significantly towards our ability to attract the required investment for full operationalization via Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries and PIDG’s InfraCo Africa.  We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the P4G as we scale up our activities in the rest of the Southern African region,” said Johannes Baake, CFO, Africa GreenCo/GreenCo Power Service Limited.

"Today, we need true paradigm shifts toward low-emission and climate-resilient sustainable development in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on sustainable development and growth of Zambia and the Southern African region. We are delighted to be working with GreenCo and a number of Zambia’s key cooperating partners to ensure that new business models, innovation and systemic change is delivered on the ground and felt by those most in need. Through this model we can attract the significant amount of funding required to harness Zambia’s abundant renewable energy resources,” said Alexander Chiteme, Minister of National Development Planning, Zambia.

GreenCo and its investors will remain focused on supporting the Government of Zambia, as well as the governments of other countries in the Southern African Development Community region, in the opening of their electricity markets. The company’s operations will contribute to the implementation of the Government of Zambia’s vision for the electricity sector as set out in the National Energy Policy 2019 and subsequent new energy sector legal and regulatory framework. The significance of this achievement is twofold: more broadly, it underscores the potential success and transformation achieved by multistakeholder partnerships for green growth; and on the ground level, it increases energy investment to help mitigate climate change, improve security of supply, and improve efficiency in the power sector.

“GreenCo is an innovative business model providing a solution that can reduce the financial risk when investing in renewable energy and consequently pave the way for more private investors, which are highly needed if Africa is to succeed in delivering affordable and green energy for all,” said Torben Huss, CEO of IFU.

“GreenCo’s initiative of intermediary power off taker and power trading company is highly innovative and will help the Zambian electricity sector prepare for the future, working together with ZESCO and other key sector stakeholders. We look forward to working with GreenCo in helping it to become operational,” said Gilles Vaes, InfraCo Africa’s CEO.

About P4G: Pioneering Partnerships, Investing in Impact

P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 - is a global platform with a venture capital approach to accelerating market-based partnerships to build sustainable and resilient economies. P4G bridges the gap between development and investment agendas to deliver inclusive, transformative solutions to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. P4G mobilizes a global ecosystem of 12 partner countries and 6 organizational partners to unlock opportunities for more than 50+ partnerships working in five SDG areas: food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and circular economy.

About

December 7, 2020 – Washington, DC – Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) has successfully closed the US$27.7 million Women’s Livelihood Bond 3 (WLB3), the third bond in the award-winning Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series (WLB Series), which is a part of the P4G Partnership. Advancing a total of 13 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the WLB3 complies with the International Capital Market Association’s Social Bond Principles and will support 180,000 underserved women in the Asia Pacific to respond, to recover from, and to build resilience in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The WLB3 is also the maiden investment of IIX’s Women’s Catalyst Fund, a next generation gender lens vehicle designed to accelerate innovative financial instruments for women.

The WLB3 is part of the US$150 million WLB Series, a series of innovative debt securities that create sustainable livelihoods for over 3 million women across developing countries. The WLB3 is supporting women-focused enterprises in India, Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Philippines that are directly supporting women to respond to, recover from, or rebuild their livelihoods in the COVID pandemic.

P4G elevated the WLB Series to the attention of Bappenas, the Ministry of National Development Planning of the Republic of Indonesia and Co-Chair of the P4G Indonesian National Platform. By mobilizing its engaged ecosystem in country partners, P4G was able to generate interest and engagement among policymakers and private sector players in Indonesia, and bring sharper alignment between the partnership’s impact and Indonesia’s national priorities like women’s empowerment in sectors like energy and agriculture.

The WLB3 continues to gather global momentum by bringing together a diverse range of public and private sector partners, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Shearman & Sterling, Latham & Watkins, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Clifford Chance, ANZ as the lead placement agent, Standard Chartered Bank, DBS Bank, Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

The WLB3 follows on the heels of the successful close of the US$12 million WLB2 in January, demonstrating how innovative gender lens products can be accelerated even during a global downturn by addressing key elements of risk, return, and impact for investors.

IIX’s CEO and Founder, Durreen Shahnaz, said, “At a time when COVID-19 caused governments, investors, and businesses to turn inward and leave behind millions of underserved women, we took a stand to do what is right. We closed a deal of immense proportions during a pandemic, and taught the world’s leading institutions how to create a financial product that works for the 99%. Our astounding success is due to the fact that we dare to do what no one else is doing by valuing and making them a part of the global financial system. But we’re not stopping there. With each innovative financial instrument, we’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of financial markets so that we create truly systemic change that will outlast the pandemic.”

“IIX is a shining example of a pioneering green partnership that can deliver inclusive economic resilience at speed and scale. P4G is proud to partner with the WLB Series because, like them, we believe that green growth requires women to play a central part as economic agents of change. In a time of great challenges and uncertainty in the midst of a global pandemic, it is inspiring to be part of an innovative investment approach that is bringing much needed private sector investment into developing economies. We will continue to support the scaling of this transformative partnership not only in Indonesia but also replicating this approach in Kenya as part of mainstreaming this approach to investing in impact,” said Ian de Cruz, P4G Global Director.

“In every industry, we are seeing women emerge as entrepreneurs, innovators and business leaders. When women are empowered, everybody wins. P4G partnerships like the WLB Series send a strong signal of what can be accomplished when the public and private sector collaborate to invest in impact and the need for platforms like P4G to bridge this gap. We welcome the inclusive growth WLB3 will bring to Indonesia and look forward to furthering its impact,” said Shinta Kamdani, Chief Executive Officer, Sintesa Group and Private Sector Co-Chair of the P4G Indonesia National Platform.

IIX’s newly launched Women’s Catalyst Fund (WCF), an innovative gender lens investment vehicle designed to accelerate funding for underserved women in developing countries to build COVID resilience, made its maiden investment on support of the WLB3. The WCF provided first loss capital which encouraged participation by private sector investors. Backed by the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), the WCF addresses persistent hurdles of the lack of catalytic capital for scaling gender lens investing by encouraging investment from new private sector investors. Specifically, the WCF provides first-loss capital in the form of subordinated notes to gender-lens innovative financial instruments, such as IIX’s WLB Series. This first-loss capital mobilizes private sector investors by reducing the risk to such investors, thereby catalyzing private sector participation into gender-lens investments that empower underserved women in developing countries.

In 2017, IIX launched the first of the WLB Series, the Women’s Livelihood BondTM 1 (WLB1)—which is the world’s first impact investing instrument to be listed on a stock exchange. Listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and quoted on Bloomberg, the WLB1 is also Asia’s first multi-country listed gender bond, reporting both social and financial returns. With the success of the WLB1, IIX issued the US$12M WLB2 in January 2020. Each issuance continues to grow in size and expand to include more countries and new sectors. IIX plans to issue the next bond in the WLB Series in Q4 2021.

-End-

About P4G – Pioneering Green Partnerships, Investing in Impact P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 - is a global platform with a venture capital approach to accelerating market-based partnerships to build sustainable and resilient economies. P4G bridges the gap between development and investment agendas to deliver inclusive, transformative solutions to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. P4G mobilizes a global ecosystem of 12 partner countries and 6 organizational partners to unlock opportunities for more than 50+ partnerships working in five SDG areas: food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and circular economy.

This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States. Securities have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or any state securities laws of the United States, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state laws. IIX has no intention to register the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction.

This announcement is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to buy the bonds issued under the WLB Series and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful

About

10/20/18

Contacts:

P4G: Frank Walter, frank.walter@p4gpartnerships.org, 01-202-271-7727

Africa GreenCo: Ana Hajduka, ana.hajduka@africagreenco.com

AFRICA GREENCO AWARDED $US600,000 TO EXPAND RENEWABLE ENERGY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA THROUGH AN INNOVATIVE NEW BUSINESS MODEL

COPENHAGEN—20 October—There are more than 600 million people without any energy access in sub-Sahara Africa. At the Copenhagen P4G Summit, Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) awarded US$ 600,000 to Africa GreenCo for its innovative plans to accelerate the supply and demand of renewable energy in southern Africa.

“No region of the world has a higher concentration of people living in deep poverty than sub-Saharan Africa,” said P4G Global Director Ian de Cruz. “Africa GreenCo has the potential to play a transformative role in improving energy access for millions of people in this region, which will enhance education, health care and stimulate economic development.”  

Africa GreenCo is a public-private-partnership between African governments, the private sector and international financial institutions to create a dynamic new participant in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). Africa GreenCo will be a regional renewable energy creditworthy intermediary offtaker and power services provider, reducing the credit risk and therefore cost of renewable energy generation projects. Africa GreenCo is working closely with the Government of Zambia and its development partners (in particular the Agence Française de Développement, the European Commission, the African Development Bank and the Development Bank of Southern Africa) and its initial focus will be on supporting projects in Zambia prior to expanding into other SAPP member countries.

“This P4G support adds valuable momentum to Africa GreenCo as we move closer to securing the investments and agreements necessary to launch and operationalize in Zambia,” said Ana Hajduka, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Africa GreenCo.

Africa GreenCo is one of six partnerships selected by P4G to receive scale-up funding and among 24 partnerships P4G is funding and/or facilitating in 2018 following a global competition that attracted 450 submissions from 80 countries.

Africa GreenCo’s transformative role is to mobilise significant private sector investment for the sector, to strengthen national and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) power markets and shift away from the current model of African governments taking on heavy liabilities for individual energy projects. Throughout Africa raw power resources are abundant but distributed unevenly – when hydropower is plentiful in one country there may be a drought in another. The region is also ripe for solar and wind energy development. Yet the lack of credit-worthy purchasers of power deters private sector investment as well as trade across the region.

Long term, Africa GreenCo hopes to mobilize US$2 billion in private investments to stimulate development of 2,500 MW of new renewable energy projects across the SADC region, which would create an estimated 645,000 direct and indirect jobs and avoid nearly 200 million tons of carbon emissions equivalent.

"Energy access plays a central role in nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today--yet sub-Saharan Africa is suffering from a sustained and chronic energy crisis,” says Saadia Madsbjerg, Managing Director at The Rockefeller Foundation, which has been supporting Africa GreenCo since 2015. “By mitigating credit risk and catalyzing private sector investment, Africa GreenCo will make renewable energy development economically viable and more affordable.”

To date, The Rockefeller Foundation has provided significant grant funding for the development of the model through its Zero Gap Innovative Finance portfolio, which provides grants for the early stage design and testing of solutions that mobilize private sector investment towards social, environmental or economic challenges. Africa GreenCo is also supported by Convergence, an organization that supports blended public-private finance investment.

About P4G

P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – is a new initiative with the ambition of becoming the world’s leading forum for developing concrete public-private partnerships at scale to deliver on the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. The government of Denmark is providing initial funding for P4G from 2018-2022. P4G partner countries include: Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea and Vietnam. P4G partner organizations include: the Global Green Growth Institute, C40 Cities, World Economic Forum, and the World Resources Institute (which hosts the P4G Global Hub).

About

NEWS

Kenyan Government Joins with Private Sector to Accelerate Partnerships for a Green Growth Future

NAIROBI—July 27, 2018— The National Treasury and The Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Kenya alongside the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat (VDS) and Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) announced today their joint leadership in a crucial initiative ushering the country towards a sustainable, inclusive future. Together, these leading organizations will host the Kenyan national platform for P4G -- Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – a new initiative funded by the Danish government that identifies and incubates the most innovative public-private partnerships to drive sustainable economic growth worldwide.

The P4G National Platform in Kenya will help further P4G’s network in the country and across the African continent. This network will increase the opportunities for facilitation and funding support that P4G provides; and will support collaboration with other P4G partner countries. Ultimately, the Kenyan National Platform will be a regional hub hosting the best and most relevant ideas for the green economy in Kenya and around the world.

In their combined position as a P4G national platform, the two ministries, VDS and KEPSA have already made significant contributions to Kenya’s green growth pursuit: in P4G’s global competition to identify the world’s most cutting-edge green partnerships, seven Kenya-based projects were included among 24 selected finalists. These seven partnerships were selected from nearly 450 applications spanning 80 countries, and will focus on a spectrum of activities related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including: energy access and investment, improved industrial and urban practices for the circular economy, and innovation in land use and agricultural technology.

To qualify for P4G support, partnerships must include public, private and civil society partners, be focused on projects in one or more developing countries, and offer a commercially viable solution in one or more of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and circular economy. In 2018, P4G selected 24 partnerships to receive facilitation and/or funding support to advance their projects.

P4G’s national platforms in partner countries bring together business, government and civil society organizations to collaborate on and help inform public-private partnerships that advance the SDGs. In addition to Kenya, other P4G partner countries include Denmark, Ethiopia, The Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. P4G also works with organizational partners C40 Cities, Global Green Growth Institute and World Economic Forum; and is hosted by World Resources Institute.

“Each of these P4G partnerships will be a foundational block in pushing Kenya towards our Vision 2030 agenda,” said Secretary of the Treasury Henry Rotich. “These partnerships represent truly innovative solutions for greener development and we look forward to using the P4G platform to incubate and scale these ideas for Kenya’s improvement and ultimately to set a green growth example for the rest of the world.”

“As we approach the link between the green growth agenda with Kenya’s development priorities, we must work together as stakeholders to maximize our bottom-line and accelerate economic transformation at the least cost to the environment,” added KEPSA Chairman Nick Nesbitt.

P4G Global Director Ian de Cruz also commented, “We congratulate the new P4G Partnerships and The National Treasury and Planning, the Ministry of Environment, VDS and KEPSA in their launch of the P4G National Platform in Kenya. By embracing public-private partnerships, Kenya can be a global innovator in sustainable solutions driven by numerous SDGs.”

The Kenyan organizations represented among the finalists include businesses and civil society organizations. In addition to facilitation support, those partnerships selected as start-up finalists qualify for up to 100,000 USD in P4G funding while the scale-up finalists will compete for up to 1 million USD in funding. The partnerships selected for scale-up funding will be announced at the P4G Copenhagen Summit 2018 taking place on 19-20 October in Denmark.

Background

Selected for facilitation and shortlisted for scale-up funding:

• Sustainable Special Economic Zones (SSEZ): Sustainable Special Economic Zones developed by Made in Africa Initiativeis led by SYSTEMIQ with support from UNDP. The partnership will disseminate its experiences from Nigeria on promoting sustainable industrialization to set up Sustainable Special Economic Zones in Ethiopia and Kenya. In these zones, the SDGs will be holistically integrated into sector selection and production – e.g. by focusing on sustainable energy and reuse of water and waste.
• Building Efficiency Accelerator is directed by the World Green Building Council with support from the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency and Danfoss. The partnership seeks to increase the adoption of energy efficiency policies and best practices in cities in Colombia, Mexico, Vietnam and Kenya. Buildings are estimated to consume one-third of energy demand and generate one-fourth of GHG emissions globally. The partnership will engage local Green Building Councils along with public and private sector partners at the national and local levels to accelerate retrofitting existing buildings and increasing the number of new buildings equipped with energy efficiency technologies and materials.
• The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (the Lab) aims to drive billions of dollars of private investment to the low-carbon, climate resilient economy in developing countries by identifying, developing, and supporting transformative sustainable finance ideas. A public-private partnership that includes over 60 institutions, the Lab brings together and catalyzes broader government and private sector efforts to scale up finance to mitigate climate change and enable climate adaptation in developing countries. With P4G’s support, the Lab aims to launch a sub-Saharan Africa Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, drawing upon the Lab’s established process, expertise, and investor base, while partnering with local experts and investors, as well as key regional partners, including the Development Bank of Southern Africa, FONERWA, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, to crowd-source, develop, and launch transformative financial solutions that address key barriers to sustainable investment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Selected for facilitation and start-up funding:

• Partnership for a New Plastics Economy in Kenya is developed by Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) with support from PETCO Kenya, Retail Traders Association of Kenya (RETRAK), BESIC Group Ltd, Discovery Brands, Ital 3D solutions, County Government of Kiambu and Kenya Climate Change Innovation (KCIC). The partnership focuses on plastic waste management in Kenya – 1.3 million kg plastic waste is generated weekly in Kenya. The partnership will increase the use of recycled plastic products and improve the collection of plastic waste through voluntary schemes and policy recommendations. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is engaged in the partnership through a Strategic Sector Cooperation project on recycling of plastic products between the EPA and Kenyan authorities. 
• Global Distributors Collective (GDC) will support businesses which distribute products that meet the needs of poor consumers, such as solar lights, water filters, clean cookstoves and nutrition products. These technologies and the markets needed to deliver them are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, businesses – a collective of last mile distribution companies, hosted by Practical Action with implementing partners BoP Innovation Centre and Hystra – will act as a collective voice for “last mile” distributors to help attract investment, shape policy and create an enabling environment for distributors to thrive.
• Energise Africa is the product of the joint efforts of Ethex and Lendahand, two of Europe’s leading online impact investing platforms. The partnership aims to demonstrate how UK-based retail impact investors can provide affordable finance for pioneering solar businesses operating in Africa to accelerate universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Energise Africa makes it possible to start investing with just £50 in solar businesses installing systems in rural, Sub-Saharan African homes – allowing “pay-as-you-go” flexibility to low income households across Africa, bringing clean energy alternatives to families otherwise dependent on kerosene or diesel.
• The Sustainable Food Platform led by DanChurchAid, along with Arla Foods Ingredients. The partnership aims to rethink market-based solutions to promote food security for poor and vulnerable people living in refugee camps and local host communities. The partnership will tap into existing knowledge and bring together local producers with global partners in an “innovation platform,” which will develop and test low-tech and energy-efficient food solutions (e.g. nutritious and affordable products like biscuits and porridge) to promote nutrition and sustainable livelihoods for the poor. The country focus will be in Ethiopia, with links to Uganda and Kenya, where more than 2 million refugees live today.

About P4G

Launched in 2017, P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – is a new initiative with the ambition of becoming the world’s leading forum for developing concrete public-private partnerships at scale to deliver on the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. The government of Denmark provides 37 million USD in initial funding for P4G from 2018-2022. Besides the partner countries, non-profit organizations such as the Global Green Growth Institute, C40 Cities, World Economic Forum, and the World Resources Institute (which hosts the P4G Global Hub) are also P4G partners.

About

This month, P4G has selected 19 new partnerships as finalists for 2019 start-up and scale-up funding from the more than 380 applicants who applied for P4G partnership funding earlier this year. Through the joint effort of the P4G team and a group of external consultants, P4G has chosen 19 new partnerships to advance to the next application stage.

Among these 19, 14 have been selected to provide further information to qualify for start-up funding for up to $100,000. Upon successful completion of this process, P4G expects to notify the partnerships chosen for start-up funding by the end of June with a public announcement planned for the beginning of August.

P4G has also invited five new partnerships to submit a full proposal as part of a competitive process to receive up to $1 million in scale-up funding. P4G will actively engage with these finalists throughout their proposal submission process through the provision of facilitation support and additional expertise. The P4G Board of Directors will choose the ultimate funding recipients, and P4G will announce these winners in September.

Together, these finalists represent all of P4G’s partner countries and all five of the initiative’s focal SDG areas – a strong endorsement of the spirit and commitment of the P4G network.

Robyn McGuckin, P4G Head of Partnerships said, “These 19 Partnership finalists reflect P4G’s ever-growing commitment to public-private collaboration and tangible results. It is inspiring that, as we consider projects for our newest P4G cohort, our 2018 partnerships are beginning to report on progress and successes from the last year. We look forward to welcoming new partnerships to our network later this year.”

P4G plans to announce the opening of a new funding period near the end of 2019. To stay up to date with P4G announcements and other news, subscribe to the P4G monthly newsletter.