Masdar to Develop 5 GW of Renewable Energy Projects

The agreements were signed under the umbrella of the Etihad 7 initiative, a UAE-led initiative that aims to raise public- and private-sector funds to invest in the development of Africa's renewable energy sector.

Etihad 7 was launched at ADSW 2022 by HE Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) with the aim of achieving 20 GW capacity to supply 100 million people across the continent with clean electricity by 2035.

HE Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), said, "The UAE and African nations share a firm belief in the tremendous potential that clean energy offers Africa to unlock economic and climate action progress. That is why the UAE launched Etihad 7 last year at ADSW, a program dedicated to accelerating universal access to clean energy across Africa by supplying clean energy to 100 million people by 2035. The signings made this week at ADSW 2023 demonstrate the great traction that we have gained and the milestones that we have achieved together over the past year."

HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, COP28 President Designate, and Chairman of Masdar, said: "The UAE is committed to advancing sustainable development in the Global South – and especially in our brotherly nations in Africa. These landmark agreements, which aim to deliver up to 5 GW of energy to Angola, Uganda, and Zambia, follow last year's signing of a 2 GW agreement for renewable energy projects in Tanzania. These further agreements will be transformative to local communities and will help African nations to drive economic growth for their people while still meeting net-zero objectives."