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The document argues that Africa's energy transition is occurring along two simultaneous tracks: centralised infrastructure and decentralised, bottom-up systems. It contends that current climate finance is too narrow, focusing almost exclusively on sovereign borrowers and large projects while ignoring the retail layer of the transition. To address this, the author proposes a dual mandate that combines infrastructure finance with consumer and trade finance. The document suggests that National Development Banks (NDBs) should act as refinancers and risk aggregators to provide local-currency credit, blended guarantees, and capital recycling mechanisms to support households, MSMEs, and informal trade networks.

The project aims to support rural entrepreneurs in Benin through two main pillars: electricity access via mini-grids, electrified activity zones (ZAE), or solar kits, and the provision of efficient cooking stoves for agri-food processors. Targeting 20 small businesses and 108 women's groups, the initiative seeks to consolidate 100 jobs, increase incomes, and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 17,000 tCO2eq.

The document argues that while Africa possesses immense renewable energy potential, over 600 million people lack electricity, and only 2% of global renewable energy investments in the last two decades have gone to the continent. It identifies critical barriers to private sector engagement, including currency mismatch, regulatory instability, and inadequate grid infrastructure. Using Nigeria as a case study, the report highlights the success of off-grid solar solutions compared to the struggling privatised on-grid sector. It recommends institutionalising predictable policies, expanding innovative finance like green bonds and blended finance, and investing in grid-compatible infrastructure and local technical capacity to accelerate the energy transition.

The document details the growth of Kiru Energy, a Nigerian cleantech startup founded by Chibunna Ogbonna in 2017. It tracks the company's evolution from portable solar kits to residential rooftop installations and battery inverters, achieving a revenue of 15 million Naira and installing over 250 kilowatts of solar energy. The text outlines the financial trajectory of the firm, from a USD 5 logo investment to a USD 10,000 grant from the Clean Technology Hub in 2020. It further analyzes systemic barriers to scaling renewable energy in Africa, including unpredictable policies, forex fluctuations, and a fragmented innovation landscape where companies work in silos. Ogbonna advocates for better alignment between policymakers and the startup ecosystem to foster innovation and attract investment to a region often perceived as unstable.

JLA Hydro, with Belgian funding, restored a 1960s-era 60 kW hydropower plant in Murhesa, DRC, which had been inactive for 15 years. The project involved civil works, the installation of a custom crossflow turbine, and the creation of a regulated minigrid. The restored power now supports a health centre, schools, and several food production and processing facilities, demonstrating the efficiency of hydropower rehabilitation for rural electrification.

A collaboration between FSD Africa and InfraCredit provided 1.6 billion Naira in local funding to DarwayCoast for solar mini-grid projects in Southern Nigeria. The initiative aims to provide clean energy to nearly 8,000 rural households across six sites in Abia and Rivers States, with 541.76 kW of solar energy expected by September 2023. FSD Africa provides technical support to help greenfield projects meet due diligence criteria, while InfraCredit uses a credit guarantee model to enable high-impact investments in the energy transition.

The Alliance for Rural Electrification's 'Renewables for Impact' campaign showcases the role of distributed renewable energy (DRE) in Sub-Saharan Africa through a photo contest and impact stories. The campaign highlights projects supported by Team Europe that contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 7, 8, and 12, focusing on productive use, women's empowerment, industrial power, manufacturing, and green job creation. Specific examples include hydro-powered irrigation in Malawi, solar cooling for herbal farms in Kenya, solar-powered water infrastructure in Mali, mini-grids in Senegal, and mini-grid construction in Benin.

The Energizing Healthcare 2025 conference addressed the energy access gap affecting 1 billion people served by health facilities with unreliable or no electricity. The report highlights the need for approximately USD 5 billion in funding by 2030 to close this gap. Key discussions centered on moving beyond simple connections to focus on energy consumption, sustainable operations and maintenance (O&M), and the adoption of innovative financing models like Energy-as-a-Service and blended finance. The event also emphasized the integration of healthcare electrification into national climate plans and the critical need for energy-efficient medical equipment, noting that up to 70% of such equipment in developing countries is currently unused due to power issues.

The 2025 Global Forum in Bridgetown, Barbados, brought together over 1,300 participants to advance a just energy transition and end energy poverty, resulting in the Barbados Declaration and over $500 million in new financial commitments for clean energy in the Global South.

The report finds that global progress toward SDG 7 is off track, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. While electricity access reached 92% in 2023, 666 million people remain unconnected. Clean cooking access stands at 74%, leaving 2.1 billion people dependent on polluting fuels. Renewable energy's share of total final energy consumption was 17.9% in 2022, and global energy intensity improved by 2.1% in 2022. International public financial flows to developing countries for clean energy reached USD 21.6 billion in 2023, though this remains below the 2016 peak of USD 28.4 billion.

The research examines the viability of private sector-led mini-grids in Kenya, highlighting how political interference and regulatory uncertainty affect value co-creation. It concludes that a business model's success depends on its ability to maintain core frugal innovation principles—reliability, affordability, simplicity, and adaptability—while navigating external pressures.

RMI is implementing diverse decentralized energy solutions in Nigeria to address the fact that over 85 million people lack sustainable electricity. The organization has deployed interconnected minigrids in locations like Zawaciki, Abuja, and Nasarawa, and a community-centric 'Sharing the Power' model in Mokoloki where residents co-own the facility. To ensure economic viability, the Energizing Agriculture Programme (EAP) integrates solar power with agricultural machinery, such as electric mills and cold storage, across 17 communities. RMI also targets industrial emissions through commercial and industrial minigrids, which can reduce carbon pollution by approximately 33 million tons per year. Additionally, the Energy Transition Academy (ETA) provides technical training to utility professionals to scale these initiatives.

The Energizing Agriculture Programme (EAP) in Nigeria demonstrated that switching to electric productive uses of energy (PUE) can reduce agribusiness energy costs by up to 82% and significantly lower the levelized cost of energy for minigrid developers. The report details the deployment of 269 pieces of equipment and provides strategic recommendations for governments, companies, developers, investors, and donors to scale integrated energy-agriculture solutions.

The report analyzes the implementation of renewable energy (RE) mini-grids in Eastern Indonesia, specifically in East Nusa Tenggara and East Kalimantan. It finds that while private sector interest in small-scale RE projects is low due to high costs and perceived risks, community-driven approaches—characterized by local ownership and the use of Village-Owned Enterprises (VOEs)—are critical for sustainability. Through case studies in Muara Enggelam, Watukarere, Mata Redi, and Treweng, the document highlights that success depends on community consensus, capacity building, and the integration of energy access with local economic development. It recommends that the Indonesian government prioritize inclusive, community-based frameworks and streamlined investment mechanisms to achieve universal energy access.

The report evaluates Madagascar's cold chain infrastructure, focusing on medical vaccines and four agricultural value chains: potatoes, tomatoes, fisheries, and dairy. It identifies significant gaps in electricity access and road infrastructure that lead to high post-harvest losses and inequitable vaccine coverage. The analysis proposes electrification scenarios for healthcare facilities and investment roadmaps for agricultural cooling, emphasizing the high return on investment for fisheries and dairy.

The Madagascar Integrated Energy Access Planning (IEP) Electrification Report outlines a strategy to reach universal electricity access. It identifies a baseline scenario for 2030 and a conservative scenario for 2040. The plan relies on four primary modalities: grid densification, grid expansion, mini-grids (MV and LV), and standalone solar systems (SSS). SSS is the dominant modality, projected to serve 52% of the population by 2030. The report provides detailed geospatial modelling for project identification, cost assumptions for infrastructure, and financing requirements, estimating a total CAPEX of over $7 billion for the 2030 goal. It also assesses the potential for small-scale hydropower to support off-grid mini-grids, particularly on the eastern coast.

The report identifies several systemic barriers to development in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including poor governance, lack of industrialization, and inadequate infrastructure. To overcome these, it recommends investing in climate-resilient agricultural technologies, diversifying the economy through downstream value addition, and deploying renewable energy mini-grids to improve electricity access. Additionally, the document emphasizes the need for human capital development through revised education programs and expanded access to modern contraceptives.

This executive summary outlines the 'Accelerating Private Sector Investments in Green Mini-Grids' report, which examines the Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) mini-grids sector in Africa and the collaborative efforts required to overcome barriers to deployment.

Natural Justice argues that the IRP2023 is a regression from previous plans and lacks a proper legal basis, as it functions as a policy instrument rather than an operational plan. The organization contends that the IRP2023 incorrectly prioritizes energy security over other national policy objectives like affordable access and environmental sustainability. It calls for the adoption of an Energy Justice Framework to address the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, particularly regarding land, water, and gender equality, and recommends the development of a comprehensive Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) as mandated by the National Energy Act.

The report identifies a critical lack of electricity in Madagascar's healthcare facilities, with 75% of Basic Health Centres (CSBs) having no access. It proposes a multi-dimensional electrification strategy focusing on stand-alone solar and back-up solutions, requiring an estimated USD 83 million in CAPEX and OPEX over ten years. The roadmap emphasizes an 'integrated approach' that combines technical deployment with sustainable business models and health service improvements, structured across three phases from 2024 to 2032.