Africa contributes barely a few percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is home to most of the countries most threatened by climate change, facing escalating droughts, floods, food insecurity and coastal erosion. While global climate finance reached about US$1.9 trillion in 2023, only around 4 percent flowed to Africa, and adaptation finance for developing countries still falls short of needs by an estimated US$187–359 billion every year. In practice, the problem is not only how much capital exists, but how little of it reaches bankable projects in the communities that need it most. 

PISTA – the Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance, hosted by the UNDP Rome Centre and backed by Italy – was created precisely to close this investment readiness gap. By providing targeted technical assistance and financial structuring support, PISTA helps governments and partners turn national climate priorities into credible, investable opportunities that can unlock public and private finance at scale. Building on its first round of support to 16 projects, PISTA’s 2026 Call for Applications is now backing a new wave of ambitious African projects with technical assistance to strengthen their bankability. 

From this year’s call, six projects have been selected that together tell a powerful story of what climate finance can look like when it is grounded in national priorities and designed for impact. 

In Angola, a major grid expansion along the Lobito Corridor will extend reliable electricity to around 55,000 new households in Benguela and Bié, combining network reinforcement with a new 5 MW solar plant in Chongoroi to displace costly diesel generators and support inclusive economic growth in inland communities. The project is expected to avoid more than 39,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year (equivalent to annual emissions of 8,500 passenger cars)  each year while improving the resilience of essential services such as health, education and water supply. 

In Côte d’Ivoire, the “Ecor Divo” project will develop a 76 MW cocoa biomass power plant in Divo, turning agricultural residues from one of the country’s key value chains into reliable, low‑carbon electricity. By anchoring new clean energy generation in a rural production zone, the project will both cut emissions and create a stable market for smallholders’ by‑products, strengthening rural incomes and reducing waste. 

In Uganda, a green hydrogen–based fertilizer plant at Karuma will use renewable power to produce ammonia and calcium ammonium nitrate for domestic farmers, replacing imported, fossil‑based fertilizers that are both expensive and carbon‑intensive. The project is designed to cut an estimated 217,000 tonnes of emissions per year while improving fertilizer affordability and availability, with around 15,000 farmers directly supported to adopt climate‑smart practices and some 5 million people expected to benefit indirectly through higher yields, improved nutrition and healthier ecosystems. 

In Senegal, a low‑carbon urban mobility programme will scale up electric taxis in Dakar through a blended‑finance and risk‑sharing model that makes long‑tenor credit accessible to drivers and small operators. The initiative aims to replace 4,000 aging diesel taxis with electric vehicles, supported by about 200 fast chargers in 40 hubs, cutting an estimated 36,000 tonnes of emissions annually while improving air quality, driver incomes and the resilience of urban mobility services for millions of residents. 

Across Senegal, Uganda and Tanzania, a regional initiative with public development banks—La Banque Agricole, Uganda Development Bank and Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank—will de‑risk and scale climate‑resilient lending to farmers by embedding climate‑risk analytics and insurance into core credit operations. Over five years, the programme is expected to support roughly 38,000 farming clients directly, benefit more than 130,000 people indirectly and improve the management of close to 470,000 hectares of land and water resources, all while avoiding more than 105,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. 

In Zanzibar, a sustainable fisheries investment initiative will support the development of climate-resilient ports, landing sites and cold-chain infrastructure. By improving how fish is landed, stored and transported, the initiative aims to reduce post-harvest losses while helping the sector move towards higher-value and lower-carbon blue economy activities. By embedding robust environmental, social and climate risk management into the design of new port and storage facilities, the project aims to attract long‑term capital while safeguarding coastal ecosystems and strengthening livelihoods in fisheries and seaweed value chains. 

Together, these six projects show what is already within reach when Africa’s climate priorities are matched with the right technical assistance and partnerships: cleaner power systems, resilient infrastructure, climate‑smart agriculture, blue‑economy jobs and healthier cities, each designed to use grant funding catalytically, to attract public and private investment at a much larger scale. 

If you are a government, development bank, financier or practitioner in this space interested in exploring collaborations, we invite you to reach out to the PISTA team at pista@undp.org.