African private sector companies developing green hydrogen projects have until May 11 to apply for pre-investment funding from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). At stake, an envelope of up to 20 million dollars.
African private sector companies developing green hydrogen projects in Africa have until 11 May 2026 at 17:00 (Abidjan time) to submit their applications via the platform sefaafrica.org. This call for proposals, launched by the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) under the AfDB, aims to support projects still in the maturation phase. At stake, pre-investment funding of up to 20 million dollars, distributed among three to five projects selected after thorough due diligence.
This support, provided in the form of repayable grants, will cover development support services, including feasibility studies, technical design and transaction advisory. The objective is to accompany the projects through to the final investment decision or financial closing.
Approved at the end of 2025 and funded by the German government, this green hydrogen program aims to bridge the gap between the development phase and the bankability of projects, a major obstacle for many promising initiatives on the continent. “Green hydrogen represents a real opportunity for Africa, both to decarbonize hard-to-green industries and to build new value chains,” said Daniel Schroth, director of the Renewable Energy Department at the AfDB, quoted in the press release.
The applications dossiers are available on sefaafrica.org since April 10, 2026. Created to unlock private investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Africa, SEFA is a multi-donor special fund that offers catalytic financing, technical assistance and concessional financial instruments. Its objective is to remove market obstacles and improve the risk/return profile of projects, with a view to universal access to affordable and sustainable energy on the continent, in line with AfDB’s Mission 300.
