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IFC Seeks $300 Million to Fund Electricity Mini-Grids in Africa
The International Finance Corp. is setting up an entity aimed at lowering the cost of mini grids in Africa, to accelerate plans to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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MOPO Secures £5 Million Investment From Norfund to Expand Clean Energy Access Across Africa
MOPO operates a pay-per-use battery rental system that delivers clean and dependable energy to households and businesses through solar charging hubs managed by local agents.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Aligning Capital with Justice: How Innovative Finance Can Enable the Final Stretch Toward Energy Access in Africa
The world has made unprecedented progress toward universal energy access, and today over 90% of the global population has electricity. But as Roeland Menger at Nithio explains, the remaining 10% live in rural and low-income communities — primarily in Africa — that typical business and funding models can't reach. He argues that the exclusion of these markets is not only ineffective but unjust, and highlights several innovative investment approaches that are expanding decentralized energy to the last mile.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing
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Nigeria’s Koolboks Raises $11 Million to Scale Solar-Powered Refrigeration Across Africa
The company designs solar-powered refrigeration units that pair ice-battery thermal storage with IoT telemetry.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Circular Solar Opportunity in Africa: How Refurbishing Solar Systems Can Reduce E-Waste and Expand Energy Access
While working in the bustling solar energy scene in Ethiopia, Zelalem Nigatu at Inter Ethiopia Solutions noticed a disheartening trend: Mountains of solar home systems were being discarded due to minor issues that could have been fixed by trained technicians with access to spare parts and the proper tools. He explores how Inter Ethiopia Solutions is tackling this challenge through a systematic approach to refurbishing solar home systems and repurposing lithium-ion batteries, enabling it to offer affordable off-grid energy solutions while reducing e-waste.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Technology
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Local Banks Back Sun King’s $156 Million Pay-As-You-Go Solar Financing in Kenya
The scale of this raise highlights Sun King’s leadership in off‑grid energy, but it also accentuates a growing divide in the market.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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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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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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