The Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger –are characterized by high poverty levels, high vulnerability to climate change, and low electrification rates.  While they have some of the highest solar energy generation potential in the world, they cannot benefit from it due to a lack of public and private investments in the clean energy sector.  Currently, clean energy cannot meet increasing electricity demand. The demand growth combined with their high dependence on fossil fuels makes it harder for them to embrace a low-emission future.  Thus, the energy sector plays a pivotal role in contributing to the region’s climate mitigation and adaptation goals.

The Desert to Power G5 Sahel Facility aims to tap into the immense solar energy potential of the Sahel region and bring cheaper, reliable and low-emission electricity to end users.  The Facility will address institutional and financial barriers and create an enabling environment to facilitate private sector funding for solar technological innovations and to ensure sustainability of the clean energy sector. GCF’s contribution of USD 150 million to the Facility will leverage financing from the African Development Bank (the implementing partner) and the private sector for investments totaling to almost USD 1 billion for large-scale solar generation.