A new consumer study from Nayo Tropical Technology Limited (NTT) shows the material impact of solar mini-grids in Nigeria on livelihoods, income and education. NTT currently owns and operates four solar mini-grids, and is expanding its portfolio with 14 new mini-grids under construction. Shell Foundation has supported NTT since 2019 with co-funding from UKAID, USAID…
As the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic continues to unfold, rural households are among those most impacted. This learning brief — commissioned by SF with co-funding from the Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office and the Mastercard Foundation Rural and Agricultural Finance Learning Lab (RAFLL) — examines actual impacts of Covid-19 on rural households in…
Shell Foundation recently partnered with Seedstars to look for sustainable, scalable and innovative start-ups addressing universal access to energy-related challenges, as well as sustainable agriculture, mobility and transportation. With co-funding from UKAID, we have launched the Energy, Mobility and Agriculture Innovation Program to find African tech entrepreneurs in the mobility, transportation, energy, and agriculture space…
CrossBoundary Energy Access (CBEA), the blended finance facility for mini-grids, has open sourced their approach to investing infrastructure capital across Africa. Shell Foundation supported the establishment of CBEA in 2018 alongside Rockefeller Foundation and with co-funding from UK Aid. CBEA invests blended capital directly into mini-grid projects serving rural African households and businesses. The business…
Pula, which provides accessible, scalable insurance solutions for smallholder farmers by bundling insurance with the inputs farmers already use including seeds and fertiliser, has produced a new learning report exploring how gender plays a role in registration decisions in East and Southern Africa. The report, co-funded by Shell Foundation and the UK government, uses Pula’s…
Key Facts Charging hubs built in over 78 locations 156 female hub attendants run the hubs Increased the rate of customer adoption by 500% per location Jaza charges and rents solar batteries from a network of last-mile retail hubs. The batteries can be used in off-grid homes to power lights, mobile phones and small appliances.…
SF partner VentureBuilder recently led an investment round that enabled an off-grid solar company to secure financing of more than US$1 million in Mali. The investment represents VentureBuilder’s first investment since being established, with funding from SF, USAID and DOEN Foundation, to support locally-owned and managed energy enterprises with early-stage equity financing and enterprise development…
The African Mini-Grid Developers Association, co-created by SF in 2018, has released its first major publication, ‘Benchmarking Africa’s Mini-Grids’, which uses coordinated sector data to provide a detailed overview of the sector in Africa. “With this report, we’re opening the door to a new era in the mini-grid sector,” said Aaron Leopold, AMDA’s CEO. “Transparency…
KEY FACTS Invests in enterprises with local ownership and management in Africa Targeting rural off-grid customers Seeking a business model owning customer relations and distribution channels, with an eye towards scaling consumer financing capacity (e.g., PAYG) VentureBuilder partners with local entrepreneurs in Africa, providing early-stage equity financing and enterprise development services to help launch and…
Shell Foundation are proud of the diverse ways in which our partners have stepped up during this crisis. In its recent newsletter, SF’s long-standing partner GroFin outlined a number of initiatives they have initiated to help their SME clients during Covid-19. These initiatives include: Developed a Covid-19 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework drawing on international…