REPP publication series captures lessons from a decade of financing decentralised renewable energy in Africa

Camco is pleased to publish the first paper in a new five-part series exploring the lessons learned from the Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP) and its role in catalysing decentralised renewable energy investment across Africa over the past decade.

Financed by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), REPP was established to address the financing gap facing small-scale renewable energy projects in frontier markets. Over its investment period, the platform demonstrated how targeted, flexible and catalytic finance can unlock investment in markets often considered too small, too risky or too fragmented for traditional investors.

The publication series reflects on both the successes and limitations of the REPP model, offering practical insights for investors, development partners, policymakers and fund managers designing the next generation of climate and energy platforms.

Among the key lessons identified are:

• 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Early-stage, risk-tolerant financing helped bring projects to bankability, unlocking over GBP159m in additional private investment.

• 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: Small-scale renewable projects connected more than 1.4 million people to affordable clean electricity while contributing to climate mitigation.

• 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹: Beyond financing, REPP’s combination of technical assistance, partnerships and market engagement strengthened the broader enabling environment.

• 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Tailored financial instruments enabled diverse business models and developers to enter the market

• 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀: Engagement with policymakers and hands-on developer support proved essential to scaling sustainable investment pipelines

Together, these findings reinforce a central lesson from REPP's experience: capital is essential, but finance alone is not enough. Successful market-building also requires strong partnerships, practical policy engagement, hands-on support for investees and flexible approaches to financing and risk.

The remaining papers will be released over the coming weeks, providing a detailed examination of the factors that enabled REPP to support the growth of Africa's decentralised renewable energy sector.

Camco would also like to thank Ieva Indriunaite for her contribution to the development of the publication series.

Click here to be re-directed to the series landing page.