Acumen, REEEP, GOGLA, EnDev, GIZ, GEA, Ikea Foundation and Open Capital Advisors are organising a deep Dive at the International Vienna Climate and Energy Forum from 16:30-18:00 on 9 April in the Geheime Ratstube, Hofburg Palace.
This second of three deep dives organised by members of the Agri-Energy Coalition steps away from the panel discussion, instead engaging stakeholders in the room to collectively map out actionable pathways to unlock finance for integrated energy–water–agriculture–nutrition solutions.
Renewable energy solutions and technologies are increasingly recognised as critical enablers of resilient food systems across rural Africa. Strengthening agricultural value chains with decentralised renewable energy enhances climate resilience, creates local employment and improves the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and offers commercial potential.
Yet enterprises operating at the agri–energy nexus continue to face persistent barriers in accessing appropriate and scalable finance. A key challenge lies in the structural misalignments in programme design including differences in language and terminology, investment criteria, success metrics or KPIs, risk perceptions, ticket sizes and time horizons. Market dynamics and financiers’ lack of experience in assessing risk and designing appropriate credit products further complicate the situation.
By harmonising KPIs, standardising risk approaches and designing catalytic capital structures that intentionally bridge philanthropic, concessional and private finance, development actors can significantly increase the probability that early-stage support leads to sustainable, long-term financing pathways, attracting new investors while increasing the investment of capital of existing ones.
This will move beyond problem identification to focus on actionable solutions and coordinated next steps.
