IFC powers up 2,235 telecom towers with clean energy across three African nations

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced a $45 million investment in IPT PowerTech, a telecom energy service company, to bring clean and reliable power to mobile network infrastructure across Ethiopia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, as announced in an official statement published by the IFC. The financing — comprising a $27 million A-Loan and $18 million in blended finance — will support the modernization and maintenance of 2,235 telecom sites, more than 90% of which sit in off-grid or weak-grid locations. The result: fewer outages, less diesel, and more consistent mobile connectivity for households, health centers, schools, and small businesses in some of Africa’s most underserved communities.

Unreliable power has long been one of the biggest hidden barriers to digital connectivity across sub-Saharan Africa. When telecom towers run on diesel generators, coverage is expensive, inconsistent, and environmentally costly — a problem that disproportionately hits rural and fragile communities.

Solar and battery systems replacing those diesel generators are expected to cut power costs for operators by up to 52% in Ethiopia, 30% in Liberia, and 26% in Sierra Leone, while reducing emissions by more than 10,600 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually. IFC Division Director Nathalie Kouassi-Akon called it “a scalable, private sector-led solution that enables mobile operators to extend coverage, improve service quality, and reach underserved and fragile communities more sustainably.” IPT PowerTech CEO Nabil Haddad framed it as proof that a greener telecom industry is not just an aspiration — it is an investable reality.

The investment marks IFC’s first direct infrastructure engagement in Liberia in a decade and in Sierra Leone in six years, carrying added symbolic weight alongside the practical impact. The project also advances the World Bank Group and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative, which aims to deliver reliable electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.

Beyond the towers themselves, the partnership includes a gender inclusion component, targeting expanded opportunities for women in technical, operational, and leadership roles — recognizing that the benefits of digital infrastructure only fully materialize when the workforce building it reflects the communities it serves.