Africa targets $5 Billion Project Pipeline as Green Economy Summit Returns for Fourth Edition

The critical climate negotiations at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, are underscoring the urgent need to translate global ambition into tangible investment and action.

This imperative resonates directly with the upcoming fourth edition of the Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES), scheduled for 24–27 February 2026 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town. Africa’s transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon future will take centre stage at the event—powered by lead partner Sanlam Investments.

This year’s edition underscores a shared commitment to accelerating investment into Africa’s green and blue economies at a defining moment for global climate action.

Organised by the VUKA Group under the theme “From Ambition to Action: Scaling Investment in Africa’s Green and Blue Solutions,” AGES 2026 will bring together institutional investors, development finance institutions, innovators, governments and sustainability leaders intent on unlocking climate-aligned capital for the continent’s most pressing development priorities. With more than 580 delegates, over 150 investors, and 200 project developers expected, the Summit reflects a growing pipeline of investment opportunities estimated at USD 5 billion across renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, digital climate intelligence, adaptation technologies and climate finance platforms.

“Africa stands at the frontier of both climate risk and innovation,” says Emmanuelle Nicholls, Portfolio Director for the Green Economy at VUKA Group. “AGES exists to bridge that gap by connecting scalable, investment-ready projects with partners who can finance measurable impact.”

The AGES 2026 agenda reflects COP30’s heightened emphasis on scaling climate and nature finance, advancing system-wide reforms, and accelerating the operationalisation of country platforms that can turn national climate plans into bankable project pipelines. With growing global attention on biodiversity and emerging nature credit mechanisms, as well as COP30’s clear push for digital MRV, AI-enabled climate intelligence, and greater transparency, the programme highlights the evolving tools reshaping the climate investment landscape.

Through sessions exploring Article 6 cooperation, nature and biodiversity finance, climate-resilient infrastructure, water and city systems, industrial decarbonisation, and the role of digitalisation in strengthening trust and integrity, AGES 2026 positions African stakeholders at the forefront of designing investment-ready pathways for a just and nature-positive transition.

Speakers across this year’s edition reflect the depth of expertise shaping Africa’s climate and finance landscape:

• Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative
• Catherine-Candice Koffman, Regional Director Africa, Green Climate Fund
• Dorah Modise, Executive Director, Presidential Climate Commission
• Andrew Johnstone, CEO, Climate Fund Managers
• David Obura, Chair, IPBES
• Matsi Modise, Africa Lead, World Climate Foundation

A central feature of AGES 2026, the Investment Pitch and Showcase Programme, returns with a curated pipeline of vetted projects presented directly to investors. These include proposals in renewable energy, battery storage, climate-resilient water systems, mobility electrification, waste-to-value innovation, circularity, climate-smart agriculture and resilience technologies. The 40 projects range from early-stage USD 1 million concepts to industrial-scale ventures exceeding USD 100 million, attracting participation from DFIs, venture capital firms, commercial banks, blended-finance platforms and corporate climate investment vehicles.

The Summit will also host technical site visits across Cape Town, showing how climate investments translate into jobs, competitiveness and long-term resilience.

AGES 2026 is anchored by a broad network of continental and global partners. Alongside Sanlam Investments, institutional partners include:

• The Global Green Growth Institute
• Climate Policy Initiative
• Convergence
• Wesgro
• The City of Cape Town
• Regional policymakers, municipal authorities and leading private-sector sustainability actors.

Their involvement ensures the Summit drives year-round capital mobilisation, not just dialogue.

As global competition for climate finance intensifies, AGES 2026 offers a platform for Africa to articulate its climate investment agenda with clarity and ambition, grounded in data, policy frameworks and the continent’s vast natural and human capital. With five years remaining in the UN SDG decade of action, the Summit stands as both a milestone and a measure of Africa’s readiness to translate climate ambition into investable, scalable action.

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