CCMM set to boost climate finance for Africa, lists bond on London Stock Exchange

Bamidele Famoofo

The Climate Investment Funds Capital Markets Mechanism (CCMM) has announced its bond listing programme on the London Stock Exchange, a move that will help to raise new climate finance at-scale from the international capital markets, for Africa and the developing world.

The announcement was made on Tuesday 12 November, at a session during the COP29 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, entitled Transforming Climate Finance Through Capital Markets. The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) is one of the world’s largest multilateral funds working to scale climate solutions in developing countries. It comprises two funds: the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF).

CCMM, an innovative issuer, raises private sector capital in the international capital markets to mobilize finance for climate action and sustainable development, based on reflows from existing Clean Technology Fund projects implemented by the six participating MDBs over the past 16 years.

The announcement follows the approval by the African Development Bank’s Board of Directors last week, for the signing of a Financial Procedures Agreement with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) acting as the trustee and the CIF Secretariat, opening the door for the Bank to become an Implementing Entity of the CCMM.

Congratulating CIF on the bond issuance, Dr. Adesina said: “At a time of declining levels of concessional financing and grants, new models are needed to secure larger climate finance for developing countries, for public and private sector.” He added: “I am pleased that the African Development Bank helped to develop the concept note for the CCMM initiative, which was accepted by the CTF Trust Fund Committee as one with the highest transformational potential, which then requested all parties to further develop the proposal.”

Tariye Gbadegesin – chief executive officer, Climate Investment Funds described the listing was a testament to ingenuity and collaboration in the face of shared crisis.

“CCMM will mobilize private capital at scale and direct it to high-impact clean energy and clean technology investments. While this is an ambitious step forward, it is rooted in a 16-year track record of being a first mover, working with national governments, the private sector, and frontline communities to pioneer cutting-edge clean technologies and solutions paving the way for greater ambition.”

The financial procedures agreement replaces an earlier one signed by the Bank in 2010 following which the Bank became an Implementing Entity of the Clean Technology Fund.

Since 2010, the Bank has approved around $946 million in concessional resources for a total of 33 investment projects and 20 technical assistance projects across the African Continent. The Clean Technology Fund is the fund that has contributed most to this total, with $646 million for 11 investment projects, including flagship projects such as the Noor Concentrated Solar Program in Morocco and the Xina Concentrated Solar Project in South Africa.

“The CCMM marks the first time that a multilateral climate fund will use the strength of its balance sheet to unlock urgently needed climate finance. Given the track record of the CIF in leveraging $10 for every dollar invested, this mechanism holds the potential to raise tens of billions of dollars in critically needed climate finance. By devoting 65:35% to public and private sector financing it will also help leverage more private sector climate financing,” Adesina said.

Under these Clean Technology Fund projects, the African Development Bank has extended a total of $2.3 billion in co-financing.