The African Development Bank Group has approved a €100 million loan to Gotion Power Morocco to finance Africa’s first integrated cathode-to-cell lithium iron phosphate battery gigafactory in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Free Trade Zone, with initial production of 10 GWh and plans to scale to 100 GWh. The Bank also intends to mobilise up to €141 million from financial partners as the mandated lead arranger under the New African Financial Architecture for Development to support the project. Led by Gotion High-Tech Co. Ltd. of Hefei, China, the facility is designed to produce battery cells and packs for electric vehicles and to spur Morocco’s emergence as a regional hub for electric mobility and green technology value chains. Bank officials say battery storage is the missing link in Africa’s clean energy transition and that a large-scale, renewable-powered plant will bolster the integration of solar and wind energy while creating green industrial jobs. The project is expected to strengthen Africa’s and Morocco’s industrial ecosystems for batteries and sustainable mobility, potentially generating hundreds of local jobs and advancing local beneficiation of critical minerals. The initiative is part of a broader push by AfDB-backed investments to support Africa’s energy transition and industrial development.”