IFC and IPT PowerTech Partner to Deliver Cleaner, More Reliable Power for Africa’s Telecom Infrastructure
By improving the quality and stability of power to telecom towers, the initiative will strengthen mobile coverage and ensure that households, schools, health centers, and small businesses can depend on more consistent digital services.
IFC announced an investment in IPT PowerTech , a leading Telecom Energy Service Company (T‑ESCO), to expand clean and reliable power for telecom networks in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, where limited power supply continues to slow digital connectivity and broader economic participation.
By improving the quality and stability of power to telecom towers, the initiative will strengthen mobile coverage and ensure that households, schools, health centers, and small businesses can depend on more consistent digital services.
The investment will support the modernization, operation, and maintenance of 2,235 telecom sites across the three countries, more than 90 percent of which are located in off‑grid or weak‑grid locations. With new solar and battery systems powering these sites, mobile networks will experience fewer outages, improved service quality, and reduced reliance on diesel generators. Optimizing the energy mix is estimated to reduce power costs for operators by up to 30 percent in Liberia, 26 percent in Sierra Leone, and 52 percent in Ethiopia. This transition is also expected to cut emissions by more than 10,624 tCO₂e annually. These improvements will help operators deliver more affordable digital services and strengthen economic participation across underserved communities. The partnership will also promote gender inclusion by expanding opportunities for women in technical, operational, and leadership roles within the sector.
“This agreement with IFC reflects a shared vision for a greener telecom industry. It empowers IPT PowerTech to scale its innovative energy platforms and deliver measurable environmental and operational impact across our global footprint.”
– Nabil Haddad, CEO, IPT PowerTech Group
“Reliable and affordable power for telecom networks is a cornerstone of Africa’s digital transformation. Through this partnership with IPT PowerTech, we are supporting a scalable, private sector-led solution that enables mobile operators to extend coverage, improve service quality, and reach underserved and fragile communities more sustainably. This investment demonstrates how innovative InfraTech solutions can simultaneously strengthen connectivity, reduce emissions, and unlock economic opportunity at scale.”
– Nathalie Kouassi-Akon, IFC Division Director, West Africa Gulf of Guinea
To enable this expansion, IFC is providing a $45 million corporate financing package consisting of an A‑Loan of $27 million and $18 million in blended finance from the Canada‑IFC Blended Climate Finance Program and the IDA20 Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility. This investment marks IFC’s first direct infrastructure engagement in Liberia in a decade and in Sierra Leone in six years and will help scale solar‑ and battery‑based power systems that reduce reliance on diesel and support greener, more resilient telecom networks.
Beyond financing, IFC will help strengthen the company’s environmental and social practices and reinforce global standards across its operations.
This project advances the World Bank Group and African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Mission 300 initiative, which aims to provide reliable and affordable electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030. It also aligns with the WBG’s Digital Economy for Africa strategy and Country Partnership Framework (CPF) priorities in the three countries.
