Category: News

Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund announces three new investments in African energy access enterprises

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The Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund (EEGF) has completed  its first three investments into distributed renewable  energy (DRE) companies working in Sub-Saharan Africa, and signed a concessional loan agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) that allows the fund to continue releasing flexible capital into the sector, which is making a critical contribution to expanding energy…

Persistent reflects on 10 years building energy access ventures

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In the 10 years since its founding, Persistent has built a venture building model that has invested in businesses providing PAYGO solar home systems as well as commercial and industrial solar, ecosystem enablers and e-mobility players, delivering financial returns and significant impact, improving more than four million lives across sub-Saharan Africa.   Shell Foundation has…

Five Grantees Announced for Health Electrification Pilot Programme

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Five mini-grid developers have been selected as part of a pilot programme to test and measure innovative financing mechanisms that can help scale electrification of health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa. Having invited applications to the programme in March, 25 applications were received and evaluated against five criteria: (1)  prior experience implementing and maintaining similar projects…

Mobility partners Tugende and Ampersand close investment rounds

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Two SF partners from the Mobility portfolio have secured growth investment to help them expand their services in East Africa. Tugende – which SF has supported since 2016 – recently announced a $3.6m investment from VCs Partech and Enza Capital – both of whom specialise in early-stage Venture Capital backing. Headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, Tugende…

Smart Freight Centre – Annual Report 2020

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Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is a leading voice globally for the logistics community, bringing together multinational companies to improve efficiencies and reduce CO²e emissions. In their 2020 Annual Report SFC puts ‘freight in the limelight’ and reflects on the significant impact made across the global logistics community. Since its inception, more than 100 multinationals use…

International Women’s Day recognised across the SF portfolio

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As the world recognises International Women’s Day there are stories from across the Shell Foundation portfolio recognising the importance and impact of gender equality. Gender impact across markets and sectors Aavishkaar, a multi-product growth financial services group with a focus on India and Africa, launched its 2020 Impact Report on International Women’s Day, featuring stories…

Seeking proposals for new health electrification finance mechanisms

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Shell Foundation is seeking applications to fund health electrification projects via targeted financing mechanisms as part of a new pilot programme. As mini-grid companies, development finance institutions, health organisations, and non-profits announce initiatives to support the electrification of COVID-19 health facilities, a key challenge remains to strike a balance between rapid deployment and the long-term…

ASOBO officially launch ‘e-boarders’ on Lake Victoria

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SF partner and Kenyan start-up ASOBO officially launched last week, offering replacement electric engines – or e-boarders – for fishing boats, which are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional petrol engines. Thousands of fishing boats – at present powered by expensive and polluting petrol engines – use Kenya’s Lake Victoria every day.  ASOBO plans…

New Household Solar Funders Group established to coordinate donor activity

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A new group of 36 funders active in the field of household solar in Africa, have come together to identify key priority areas to amplify sector impact. The Household Solar Funders Group (HSFG) builds upon the Scaling Off Grid Energy (SOGE) initiative founded by USAID, FCDO, the African Development Bank and Shell Foundation in 2018…

DFC & SF Launch New Collaboration to Accelerate Access to Renewable Energy & Gender Inclusion

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WASHINGTON – The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Shell Foundation (the UK-registered charity) yesterday announced a new collaboration to bring affordable renewable energy to more than 5 million people in low-income areas of Africa and Asia by 2025. The organizations recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding that enhances their ability to support the…