Africa is expected to be the hardest hit by the impact of climate change in the coming years. This is compounded by the continent massive needs in terms of investments to help address poverty issues and deliver on the SDGs by 2030.

In that context, sustainable finance, and in particular green bonds, offers opportunities to raise funds to finance sustainable investments with environmental benefit. While the green bonds market is growing rapidly globally, Africa has so far not substantially been included, despite the management of Africa’s natural resources and future growth are key to meet the global climate challenges. The interest from private and institutional green investors for emerging markets is growing, but so far the globally applied frameworks for green bonds have not led to any real increase in Africa.

With Kenya as an example, what will it take to offer green investment opportunities in Africa, and what is the role of the different banking and law-making, development actors? This was the discussion in the side event with Kenya.

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Presenters/panelists:

Peter Odhengo, Director Climate Finance Department, National Treasury, Government of Kenya

Vimal Parmar, Senior Capital Markets Specialist, Financial Sector Deepening Africa

Josep Oriol, Managing Partner, Okavango Capital

Nuru Mugambi, Director of Public Affairs, Kenya Bankers Association

Jackson Kiplagat, Regional Sustainable Investments Manager, WWF Kenya

Oskar von Maltzan, German Development Bank KfW

Clemens Calice, Co-Ceo and founding partner of Lion’s Head Global Partners

Paolo Lombardo, head of EIB regional office, Nairobi