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Connected Power: Ensuring Africa is Not Left in the Dark — or Offline
Sub-Saharan Africa has both the highest energy access and digital connectivity gaps in the world. As Ravi Suchak at Helios Towers explains, this is due not to a lack of demand, but to fundamental infrastructure barriers: Telecom towers and mobile networks require a reliable power supply, which is often absent or prohibitively expensive in rural areas, and electricity providers need consistent demand to de-risk rural energy investments. He explores a solution that addresses both of these needs: "connected power," a development approach that aligns energy and telecom infrastructure by positioning telecom towers as anchor customers for electrification projects.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology, Telecommunications
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MCFA Signs Agreement With Bidhaa Sasa in Kenya to Scale up Access to Electric Cooking
With the EUR 2.3 million in MCFA funding, Bidhaa Sasa will scale up sales of electric pressure cookers targeting up to 100,000 primarily female customers in rural areas of Western and Central Kenya.
- Categories
- Energy, Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Cape Town’s Open Access Energy Raises $1.8 Million to Scale AI-Driven Electricity Trading
Cape Town-based startup Open Access Energy (OAE) has secured $1.8 million (R32.3 million) in seed funding to expand its AI-powered platform for electricity trading.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Private Sector Developers Sign Funding Agreement to Fast-Track Rural Electrification in Zambia
This round of funding will stimulate and incentivize end-use demand for energy supplied by 43 existing and new mini-grids across Zambia, bringing reliable and affordable energy to underserved areas.
- Categories
- Energy, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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MCFA to Support KOKO Networks to Scale up Its Bioethanol Solution for Clean Cooking Across Kenya
The first project from MCFA’s second funding round has been signed with KOKO Networks, a Kenyan provider of clean cooking solutions based on the use of sustainable bioethanol.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Report: World is Off Track to Achieve Universal Energy Access by 2030
"While almost 92% of the world’s population now has basic access to electricity – an improvement since 2022 – over 666 million people remain without access . . . "
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Global
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BURN, Trade and Development Bank Group to Expand Access to Clean Cooking in Mozambique, DRC & Zambia
The agreement will support the rollout of BURN’s industry-leading ECOA biomass and IoT-enabled induction cookstoves.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Wetility Secures $27.8 Million from Jaltech to Scale Solar Access for South African Homes and SMEs
The capital injection is set to support Wetility’s plans to provide solar power and battery systems to over a million homes and businesses across South Africa.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- energy access, MSMEs, scale, solar
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