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Private Business Alone Can’t Bring Energy to the Last Mile: Why Philanthropy Should Shift its Focus to Scalable Non-Profit Models
Africa is home to countless failed pay-as-you-go energy businesses that couldn't sustain themselves after their grant funding dried up. According to Aneri Pradhan at New Energy Nexus, this highlights the shortcomings of market-led approaches to last-mile energy access across the continent. She argues that philanthropic funding has largely failed to create sustainable energy businesses in these communities, as customers cannot afford clean energy at their current income levels. Instead, she encourages funders to support non-profit models that have proven their ability to reach these communities at scale.
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Nine Business Models for Productive Use of Electricity in Africa: A Framework for Generating Profit and Impact in Off-Grid Energy
Improving energy access in rural Africa is crucial for poverty reduction, but grid electricity is often inaccessible or unaffordable — and off-grid alternatives present similar challenges. Olowo Aminu, Bodunde Akinola, Nneka Chime and Mosorire Aiyeyemi at CrossBoundary argue that Productive Use of Electricity (PUE) has the potential to solve these issues, boosting household income and economic growth, while increasing profitability for energy providers. They share a framework CrossBoundary has developed to help off-grid companies and other stakeholders plan for effective PUE implementation.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Technology
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Press Release: Sarah Malm Announced as New Executive Director of GOGLA, the Global Association for the Off-Grid Solar Energy Industry
GOGLA represents companies, investors, and development actors working to build sustainable markets for off-grid solar technologies.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Top Findings from Why Off-Grid Energy Matters 2024
60 Decibels, a leading social impact measurement company, announces the publication of Why Off-Grid Energy Matters 2024, the world’s most comprehensive impact assessment of the off-grid sector to date.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Energy Poverty is Not Gender Blind: How Companies, Funders and Policymakers Can Empower Female Energy Consumers Across Africa
While both men and women in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity and clean energy technologies, women pay a bigger price for this lack of access in nearly every imaginable way. Mutale Ngaba, Katie Brauer, Nathalie Gogue-Ebo and Duda Slawek at Open Capital argue that this crucial aspect of the energy access conversation is often overlooked. They explore the gender inequities in energy poverty, and share learnings from Open Capital's work that can guide the efforts of energy companies, funders and policymakers to put women’s needs at the center of energy access efforts in the region.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Technology
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Press Release: GOGLA and USEA Sign Partnership to Scale up the Productive Use of Renewable Energy in Uganda
The partnership seeks to enhance the use of renewable energy to improve food security and create economic empowerment in Uganda.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How African Companies Are Solving the Continent’s Solar Finance Problem
While solar adoption is soaring in wealthier regions, it remains startlingly low in Africa. As of 2022, only about 13 gigawatts of solar capacity had been installed across the entire continent.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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COMESA, World Bank Announce $50 Million Energy Access Initiative
The program will engage specialized local and international firms and private investors to provide technical services.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa