Lusaka, Zambia - Standing in the bustling peri-urban settlement of Ngwerere, where nearly 1,000 Zambians live on the outskirts of Lusaka, you can see the power lines that follow the main road. But the residents here have never had access to grid electricity. That has not stopped enterprising busines Contact online >>
Lusaka, Zambia - Standing in the bustling peri-urban settlement of Ngwerere, where nearly 1,000 Zambians live on the outskirts of Lusaka, you can see the power lines that follow the main road. But the residents here have never had access to grid electricity. That has not stopped enterprising business owners from setting up three video arcades and a movie theater, thanks to a 12-kilowatt solar array and battery bank installed by Standard Microgrid, which also provides power to grocery stores, hair salons, and nearly 100 homes.
The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa is arranging a side event on 15 November at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29). Results-based financing has effectively accelerated access to clean energy in rural areas and supported Africa''s green transition and technological innovation. What are the opportunities and challenges of scaling the off-grid sector in the future?
A new study shows that the Off-Grid Task Force in Zambia has accelerated the growth of the country''s off-grid energy sector and transformed challenges into opportunities. Currently, lessons learned from the Zambia programme are being implemented across all countries supported by the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) with the aim of addressing a broad range of key factors through scaling up activities to reach more underserved populations with affordable off-grid electricity solutions. Read more through the beneath link and download the report and a summary flyer.
Established clean energy access through BGFA in 2023 is benefitting 1,500 African businesses and impacting a total of 1.2 million lives across five Sub-Saharan African countries. In 2023, approx. 210,600 energy service subscriptions were provided, bringing total subscriptions up to 240,700 by the end of the year. This has generated 6,500 MWh of clean electricity and reducing 15,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions.
A new agreement has been signed with Nuru Société par Actions Simplifée Unipersonnelle (Nuru SASU) to scale up the development of new mini-grids in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which will provide access to clean energy in the northeastern part of the country. The implemented project will provide access to electricity for residential, commercial and institutional customers in peri-urban and urban areas.
Two new agreements have been signed with Koolboks Ltd and Equatorial Power Ltd in Uganda to scale up access to solar-powered cooling solutions and develop new mini-grids in the country. Access to electricity and off-grid refrigeration will allow small and medium-sized businesses in rural communities to establish new ventures to support economic development in these areas.
BGFA was set-up in 2019 on the initiative of the Swedish Government, building on the successful, award-winning initial pilot phase in Zambia, the Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia (BGFZ). BGFA is an ambitious multi-donor funding facility that aims to kick-start markets for clean, off-grid energy in Sub-Saharan African countries. It works through a combination of an innovative results-based financing mechanisms for energy companies, close cooperation with governments and real-time data collection and analysis.
Funding rounds are now closed in the following countries:
How a mini-grid is changing the lives of Cecelia, Godfrey and the rest of their community in Ngwerere, on the edge of Lusaka.
How off-grid solutions have made a positive impact on Steven’s family life on the outskirts of Lusaka.
How the Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia has brought new opportunities and optimism to Lister and Kennedy in a rural community in Chongwe, east of the Zambian capital of
BGFA has not yet generated any own impacts, but the decision to expand the concept into Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Liberia, Uganda and a new funding round in Zambia builds on the experiences of the pilot programme Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia (BGFZ) and early positive experiences in terms of rural and peri-urban customers'' interest in buying affordable off-grid energy service connections, mobilised private capital and strong social and gender outcomes.
For more information on our past funding rounds click below.
BGFA was established as a separate funding facility by the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (Nefco) in 2019 on Sweden''s initiative and has swiftly developed into a multi-donor programme. The BGFA programme is administered by Nefco and implemented in partnership with the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP). Power Africa, an initiative administered by USAID, is providing a considerable in-kind technical assistance contribution, and Denmark and Germany have joined to fund activities in, respectively, Uganda and Zambia.
The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa was established on Sweden’s initiative in 2019, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Sweden is contributing SEK 835 million (EUR 80 million) to the BGFA programme, with contributions coming from the local embassies in target countries.
Power Africa is a U.S. government-led partnership that brings together the collective resources of over 170 public and private sector partners to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Power Africa''s goal is to add more than 30,000 megawatts (MW) of new electricity generation capacity and connect 60 million new homes and businesses to power by 2030. In 2020, Power Africa joined BGFA with the aim to provide an in-kind contribution worth approx. EUR 4 million (USD 4.5 million) over three years in order to help operationalise the initiative and develop a pipeline of commercially viable projects within the framework of BGFA.
Visit the Power Africa website
Denmark joined the BGFA in 2020 to support the expansion to Uganda. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark has contributed with DKK 117.5 million (EUR 15.8 million), for a period for 5 years.
Visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
Germany joined the BGFA in 2021 and is contributing EUR 7.5 million, through the KfW Development Bank. Germany is jointly with Sweden funding the Zambian country programme, aiming at supporting private companies to establish and scale innovative and sustainable business models with focus on mini-grids.
Norad joined BGFA in 2022 and is contributing EUR 19 million (NOK 200 million) for supporting the acceleration of affordable energy access in underserved communities with the focus on supporting the BGFA-selected energy service providers in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Uganda and Zambia.
NIRAS is a development and engineering consultancy company headquartered in Denmark with offices in over 25 countries across Europe, Africa, South Asia and Latin America and extensive experience in programme management and implementation of internationally financed technical assistance facilities and funds for various public sector clients.
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) is an international non-profit organisation that works to kick-start markets for clean energy and energy efficiency solutions in low- and middle-income countries. REEEP co-designed and is implementing the Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia and is one of the Project Implementation Partners for the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa.
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