Our six-year Scaling Energy Access Markets in Africa (SEAM) partnership with The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Power Africa met its objectives and came to its natural conclusion in October. SEAM improved the lives of more than 15 million underserved people in Africa, delivered over 3.1 million new connections, leveraged $441 million of…
Our experience working with access-to-energy (A2E) and sustainable mobility (SM) start-ups in Africa has shown a market gap where lack of access to early-stage support constrains access to funding for African-led start-ups in the sectors. Effective mentorship has been shown to increase the chances of start-up success by up to three times. Co-funded by UK…
Over the course of Shell Foundation’s work supporting innovative start-ups working in emerging markets, we have seen market-level challenges that have the potential to inhibit the development and scaling potential of new solutions that cannot be solved by single enterprises alone. Since 2010 we’ve supported the establishment of institutions that work to address these challenges…
The Uganda Off-Grid Energy Market Accelerator (UOMA) recently released a report examining the demand-side barriers to financing for off-grid solar businesses. Though it is well recognised that off-grid solar will play a major role in closing Uganda’s current electrification gap, a significant funding shortfall threatens the country’s efforts. It has been estimated that…
As the world adapts to a different operating environment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, at Shell Foundation we have been working to formalise our response strategy to help our portfolio of social enterprises and institutions continue delivering energy and transport solutions to low-income consumers in Africa and Asia, and that the sector response is aligned…
The Nigeria Off-Grid Market Acceleration Programme(NOMAP) is an independent market accelerator that aims to address market barriers limiting energy access in Nigeria. Supported by Shell Foundation, USAID and most recently DFID, NOMAP accelerates the off-grid energy in Nigeria using a mix of research, coordination and direct interventions. Its key attributes such as independence, a focus on result,…
As political leaders look to accelerate progress towards reaching the sustainable development goals, the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA) has produced more evidence to show off-grid solar’s role as ‘a power tool for change’. The new GOGLA report series follows last year’s ground-breaking Powering Opportunity research and confirms the positive socio-economic impact of solar home…
What is the Community of Champions? The Community of Champions – supported by GOGLA, World Bank/ESMAP, Shell Foundation, USAID/Power Africa, the UK Government and SEforAll – was formed as an opportunity for ongoing exchange between governments, the private sector and development partners to work collaboratively towards creating a supportive policy environment to help achieve universal…
Key Facts 30 member companies, including innovative start-ups and established utilities Operations in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria with members across 15 countries Minigrids represent a $190 billion investment opportunity between now and 2030 (International Energy Agency (IEA)) As the first trade association dedicated exclusively to the minigrid sector, AMDA’s work focuses in three main areas:…
Key Facts Off-grid sector analysis of gaps/opportunities has drawn support from over 30 organisations including government, donors and impact investment funds NoMAP aims to reduce market barriers to energy access through high-impact initiatives in Nigeria, working in partnership with key stakeholders. In its first year, the market acceleration programme is focused on: Building market data…