Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), has revealed that Africa has over $4 trillion of domestic savings in banking assets, institutional funds and reserves.
The revelation was contained in the AFC’s 2025 edition of the State of Africa’s Infrastructure (SAI) Report.
The AFC also expressed its conviction in the capacity of African-led investment as the foundation for scaling provision of power, transportation and industrialisation across the continent.
Specifically, the SAI Report estimated that Africa countries have over $1.1 trillion in long-term institutional capital from pensions, insurance, sovereign wealth funds, and public development banks, along with $2.5 trillion in commercial banking assets and over $470 billion in central bank reserves.
It argued that these funds could be channeled to the continent’s infrastructural needs.
The report, however, observed that despite the scale of these resources, most investments are allocated to low-risk and short-term instruments rather than being channelled into the real economy via infrastructure financing.
The AFC’s report, therefore, called for targeted policy reforms, financial innovation, increased use of risk-mitigation tools, and the creation of financial structures such as pooled funds or investment platforms to reposition African institutions at the heart of the continent’s infrastructure transformation.
As part of the process of identifying investment opportunities, the SAI canvassed for moving Africa’s energy narrative from small-scale access to large-scale, interconnected power systems capable of driving industrialisation, digital sovereignty, and climate resilience in the continent.
It said that “under-investment in African energy is stark. In 2024, Africa added just 6.5 GW of grid-connected capacity from all sources—compared to over 18 GW from renewables alone in India. Installed power generation per person has stagnated in Africa while more than doubling in India since 2008, highlighting the widening gap in energy access and industrial potential.”
The report further advocated for regional grid integration and private sector participation in electricity transmission.
It noted that Africa—in contrast to other developing regions—has yet to see a single independent transmission project.
The AFC identified Angola, DRC, Tanzania, and Mauritania as key interconnector markets that could enable countries with excess generation capacity to supply power to those facing deficits—linking multiple power pools and balancing electricity flows across borders.
Rail Renaissance
In contrast to the under-investment in energy, the SAI Report spotlights the emergence of a new rail infrastructure cycle that signaled a renewed momentum across Africa’s transport landscape.
The report said that from east to west and southern Africa, a growing pipeline of railway projects—public and private—is reversing decades of neglect and disrepair.
Under-construction and planned lines total over 7,000 km, potentially doubling the pace of rail expansion in the decade ahead.
To showcase this renaissance, AFC has launched the first-ever Digital Map of African Railways—a dynamic, interactive platform that provides real-time insights into the continent’s rail corridors.
The tool aims to enhance project visibility, foster investor interest, and support coordination along key transport and trade corridors.
Industrial Value Chains
The report further identifies steel, fertilizers and oil refining as Africa’s three most important strategic industrial inputs—currently dominated by some $300bn of annual imports but ripe for domestic value addition.
As a result of local production shortfalls, Africa currently consumes just 24 kg of steel per capita, compared to a global average of 219 kg, and 23 kg of fertilizer per hectare, versus 140 kg globally. Notably, the ore-to-steel supply chain represents a major untapped industrial opportunity—but realising its potential will require connecting expanding iron ore supply centres in West Africa with processing hubs and growing consumption markets across the continent.
AFC calls for coordinated investment in energy, transport, and logistics to unlock competitiveness in these sectors and anchor regional production hubs.
Commenting on the findings, Samaila Zubairu, President & CEO of Africa Finance Corporation, said: “This report provides a practical roadmap for how Africa can channel its significant financial strength into the infrastructure needed to drive industrial transformation—from scaling electricity supply to revitalising rail and building up strategic industries like steel and fertilisers. The tools exist. The capital is available. What’s needed now is coordinated action to unlock it.”
