Addressing global problems like the climate crisis and access to affordable, clean, and reliable energy requires far more than any one investor can provide. The power of catalytic capital, which encourages other investors to commit capital by reducing their risk, is an important way to bring in greater resources.

MacArthur’s recent $5 million impact investment in Zafiri is designed to mobilize additional capital at scale. Zafiri is a permanent equity investment vehicle that supports small-scale and decentralized renewable energy to expand access to electricity and clean cooking solutions in sub-Saharan Africa. Backed by an initial $300 million, Zafiri is expected to scale up to $1 billion to accelerate energy access.

Zafiri advances Mission 300, a joint initiative of the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank to provide first-time electricity access to 300 million people by 2030. MacArthur’s junior equity investment builds on our longstanding Catalytic Capital Consortium partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation. MacArthur and Rockefeller, along with the African Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, Trade and Development Bank Group, and Nordic Development Fund, are founding investors in Zafiri.