The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) will tomorrow unveil the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) Project Preparation Facility (PPF) to serve as a catalyst for renewable electrification across the region
The ASCENT Programme is COMESA’s flagship initiative to drive renewable electrification and expand access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy across Eastern and Southern Africa.
ASCENT is designed to catalyse investment, strengthen technical capacity, and foster innovation in clean energy solutions that support inclusive growth and climate resilience.
The USD 25 million initiative funded by the World Bank will be providing technical assistance to project developers and ensuring that energy access initiatives are well structured, bankable, and ready for financing.
The unveiling of the project during the Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF) 2026 in Nairobi starting tomorrow will be able to bridge the gap between ideas and investment, as the facility will enable the development of high-impact projects that will expand access to clean energy, stimulate productive uses of energy, and accelerate the green transition.
In a press release by COMESA ahead of the forum Ambassador Dr Mohamed Kadah, COMESA Assistant Secretary General in charge of programmes, said The ASCENT Project Preparation Facility will reinforce their collective ambition to advance renewable electrification, promote productive use of energy, and accelerate the green transition
“This project will unlock opportunities for sustainable growth, empower communities, and strengthen regional integration,” Dr Kadah said.
To ensure effective delivery and professional management, Cygnum Capital has been appointed as the fund manager for the ASCENT PPF and will oversee the development of a pipeline of bankable projects, provide technical and financial advisory services, and ensure that initiatives supported by the facility meet international standards of quality and bankability.
The ASCENT PPF will support project developers with technical expertise to prepare robust proposals, mobilise investment by ensuring projects meet international financing standards, promote productive energy use in agriculture, industry, and commerce, and accelerate regional electrification through renewable solutions that deliver lasting social and economic benefits.
According to COMESA, the launch of the PPF at EAIF 2026 will position it at the forefront of Africa’s energy transformation.
EAIF, recognised as the continent’s leading annual investment forum, will convene governments, financiers, innovators, and private sector leaders to forge partnerships that will drive renewable electrification, commercial and industrial power solutions, and the green energy transition.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community of 21 member states. COMESA promotes regional integration through trade, investment, and sustainable development initiatives, with a strong focus on energy access, climate resilience, and inclusive growth.
EAIF 2026, running from the 21st to the 24th this week, is organised by the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) supported by GET. Invest, a leading European programme that mobilises investment in clean energy, co-funded by the European Union, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Austria, will bring together over 1000 participants both in person and online.
By Wangari Ndirangu
