Rashid Sesay, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dean of the African Group of Ambassadors in the UAE, hosted a meeting of APRA Member State Ambassadors to discuss the results of the recently concluded APRA Investment Forum 2025. The forum, held in Freetown on October 22 and 23, brought together high-level political leaders, technical stakeholders, and private-sector actors to advance renewable energy investment across the continent.
Ambassador Sesay opened the session at the Sierra Leone Embassy in Abu Dhabi, stating that the meeting had been organised in collaboration with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which serves as the APRA secretariat. He noted that the goal was to keep fellow Permanent Representatives to IRENA and other diplomatic colleagues whose countries are APRA members informed of the Freetown forum’s achievements, as well as APRA’s operations and plans. Ambassador Sesay described the forum as “hugely successful,” noting the attendance of Sierra Leone’s President, His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio, senior government officials, and representatives from other APRA Member States.
Madam Safiatou Alzouma, RENA’s Special Advisor for Energy Transition, Climate, and Green Industrialisation in Africa, provided detailed highlights of the Freetown event. She stated that eight of APRA’s ten member countries were represented, and that the forum attracted more than 200 people. During the two-day meeting, 13 projects were formally pitched, totalling 1.1 gigawatts with a funding requirement of approximately $2 billion USD. In addition to pitches, 11 projects from various APRA Member States were showcased, with a proposed capacity of 450 megawatts.
According to Madam Alzouma, the forum featured several technical sessions that drew a diverse range of stakeholders and demonstrated Sierra Leone’s leadership’s strong political will. She emphasised that the visible support of President Bio and his adviser, Hon. Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, was critical to the event’s success. The forum concluded with a strong political Declaration, she said, emphasising the participating countries’ commitment to accelerating renewable energy deployment and green industrialisation throughout Africa.
Madam Alzouma urged African countries to support APRA as an African-led initiative, emphasising the importance of continental ownership in meeting the partnership’s objectives. APRA was established at COP-28 in Dubai in 2023 with the explicit goals of accelerating the energy transition, promoting green industrialisation, mobilising investment, and providing technical assistance to African countries seeking to scale renewable energy projects.
Several ambassadors and diplomatic representatives attended the Abu Dhabi meeting and participated in the discussion, including delegations from Djibouti, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Ghana. Their contributions were described as helpful in determining the next steps for APRA activities and improving coordination among member states and partners.
APRA’s current members include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The partnership, with IRENA as secretariat, aims to leverage political support, technical expertise, and investment mobilisation-to transform project pipelines into bankable renewable energy initiatives capable of delivering clean power and supporting industrial growth across member countries.
By holding this diplomatic briefing in Abu Dhabi, Ambassador Sesay hoped to raise awareness among Permanent Representatives and secure continued diplomatic support for APRA’s goals. The meeting reaffirmed the partnership’s emphasis on African leadership, cooperation between states and international institutions, and the critical need for increased financing and implementation to meet the continent’s energy transition and development goals.
