Vienna, 25 March 2025 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) announced the first five demonstration projects to be supported by the Accelerate-to-Demonstrate (A2D) Facility. The UK-funded A2D Facility accelerates pilot demonstration projects with innovative technologies for climate action in developing countries. The first demonstration projects will have a transformational and catalytic impact in the countries benefiting from these innovative solutions, namely Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria and the United Republic of Tanzania.

The launch was chaired by UNIDO Director General, Gerd Müller, who emphasized: "Today we are marking an important milestone. The A2D Facility is demonstrating what is possible with new sustainable development solutions. These first demonstration projects create scalable solutions where they are needed most, especially through knowledge transfer and above all strong new public-private partnerships. I am very grateful to the Government of the United Kingdom for their generous funding support of this initiative."

Ms. Lindsay Samantha Skoll, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations called this “a significant achievement in implementing cutting-edge innovative solutions and delivering transformative results in developing countries, and a testament to UNIDO’s multilateral leadership on climate innovation”. The UK Government provided an initial contribution of GBP 65 million to establish the A2D Facility.

The first five demonstration projects, funded by the A2D Facility through grants, will help to bridge the commercialization gap in key areas for the energy transition: clean hydrogen, smart energy, industrial decarbonization and critical minerals. 

Ambassadors and representatives from Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, and the United Republic of Tanzania, the five countries where the projects are being implemented, highlighted their strategic importance of the projects in advancing sustainable and inclusive industrial development, and climate action in their countries.

The five demonstration projects will address key issues and have a transformative impact:

• Kenya: The project works on greening the tea industry through biomass gasification, cutting emissions, lowering energy costs, reducing fertilizer use and boosting farm productivity, demonstrating a scalable path for industrial decarbonization.
• Namibia: By integrating clean hydrogen through innovative clean energy, this initiative enhances food production, creates jobs in the clean hydrogen sector, and reduces industrial carbon emissions, ensuring community involvement and financial benefits.
• Nepal: By implementing smart systems and strengthening grid resilience, the project will help to save over USD 1 million in electricity and diesel costs while significantly reducing CO₂ emissions in a steel factory.
• Nigeria: A peer-to-peer energy-sharing system will transform wasted renewable energy into community power, reducing emissions and replacing carbon-intensive fuels, while supporting women-led businesses, low-income households and local solar PV owners.
• United Republic of Tanzania: The project will support innovative and local lithium-ion battery manufacturing to provide clean, affordable smart energy for the transportation sector, benefiting youth groups, women and green investors while modernizing mobility.

The A2D Facility aims to accelerate the commercialization of innovative climate solutions in developing countries. For further information on the first supported demonstration projects, please visit the A2D Facility website here, and to keep up-to-date on the latest information, opportunities and events, please subscribe to our newsletter here.