The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a premier infrastructure solutions provider, has released its 2025 State of Africa’s Infrastructure (SAI) Report, offering the most detailed assessment yet of the continent’s investable capital landscape. The report, distributed through the APO Group, identifies over $4 trillion in domestic savings, including $1.1 trillion in long-term institutional capital from pensions, insurance, sovereign wealth funds, and public development banks, alongside $2.5 trillion in commercial banking assets and $470 billion in central bank reserves.

Despite this financial muscle, the report highlights a critical challenge: much of this capital remains parked in low-risk, short-term instruments, sidelining investments in Africa’s real economy. AFC advocates for sweeping policy reforms, financial innovation, and risk-mitigation tools to redirect these funds into transformative infrastructure projects. The report proposes creating pooled funds and investment platforms to position African institutions as key drivers of the continent’s infrastructure overhaul, particularly in power, transportation, and industrialization.

In energy, the SAI Report exposes a stark under-investment. Africa added just 6.5 gigawatts of grid-connected capacity in 2024, compared to India’s 18 gigawatts from renewables alone. While India’s installed power generation per person has more than doubled since 2008, Africa’s has stagnated, exacerbating the energy access gap. AFC calls for a shift from small-scale energy access to large-scale, interconnected power systems to fuel industrial growth, digital sovereignty, and climate resilience. It identifies Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Mauritania as pivotal markets for regional grid integration, enabling power-surplus nations to supply those with deficits through cross-border electricity flows.

On a brighter note, the report signals a rail infrastructure renaissance, with over 7,000 kilometers of new lines under construction or planned. This surge could double the pace of rail expansion in the coming decade, revitalizing transport corridors across east, west, and southern Africa. To support this momentum, AFC launched the Digital Map of African Railways, a first-of-its-kind interactive platform offering real-time insights into rail projects to attract investors and enhance coordination.

The report also underscores opportunities in industrial value chains, pinpointing steel, fertilizers, and oil refining as critical sectors. Africa’s steel consumption stands at a mere 24 kilograms per capita against a global average of 219 kilograms, while fertilizer use lags at 23 kilograms per hectare compared to 140 globally. AFC stresses the need for coordinated investments in energy, transport, and logistics to bolster these industries and reduce the continent’s $300 billion annual import burden.

Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO of AFC, emphasized the report’s significance. “This report provides a practical roadmap for channeling Africa’s financial strength into infrastructure that drives industrial transformation, from scaling electricity to revitalizing rail and building strategic industries,” Zubairu said. “The capital is available. What’s needed now is coordinated action to unlock it.”