Freetown: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Government of Sierra Leone today officially launched the second Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) Investment Forum. The event aims to increase investments to advance the energy transition and green industrialisation across APRA countries.
According to Emirates News Agency, the Forum is taking place from October 22-23, 2025, at the Freetown International Conference Centre. It brings together ministers, high-level representatives from APRA Partners, investors, developers, and financial institutions from Africa and beyond for high-level dialogues and technical sessions. The event also includes matchmaking opportunities and a project exhibition, offering regional developers a platform to showcase their projects to global investors and financiers.
The high-level gathering follows the release of a new IRENA report at the Pre-COP in Braslia, revealing that Africa accounted for only 1.6% of new installed renewable capacity in 2024. IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera stressed the urgency of removing financial barriers and ensuring affordable capital reaches viable projects. He noted that the APRA Investment Forum is instrumental in deploying IRENA's project facilitation tools and partnerships to de-risk investment and unlock innovative financing.
Hon. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Energy Sector Lead and Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security, highlighted Sierra Leone's commitment to renewable energy. He noted that Sierra Leone is proud to host the 2025 APRA Summit following the signing of a 2.2 billion Mission 300 Compact to increase the share of renewables from 46% to 52%.
The two-day event builds on last year's inaugural forum in Nairobi, which mobilised a project pipeline valued at USD 2.7 billion and approximately 1 gigawatt of potential renewable power generation capacity. Post-Forum efforts will focus on advancing identified projects, strengthening investment readiness, and supporting implementation efforts across APRA countries.