About 570 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, and instead have to rely on kerosene and diesel generators for lighting. Meanwhile, 85 percent of the population lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies. Failure to address these energy problems, which are holding back national development and causing rapid deforestation and dangerous levels of indoor air pollution, will severely undermine Africa’s growth and stability as a continent. 

The LEAF framework will provide decentralised renewable energy solutions to tackle the energy shortfall, while also reducing CO2 emissions and simultaneously boosting local economies and businesses. This initiative will address financial and investment barriers by deploying credit enhancement instruments and new financial products to crowd in local currency debt and commercial capital. The LEAF framework will also address adverse COVID-19 economic impacts which have limited national capacities to achieve renewable energy transition goals.