Archive for category: Events

EEP Africa hosted a Question and Answers session on the 14th Call for Proposals (CfP14) for over 30 people at the EEP regional hub office in Nairobi on Tuesday 12 June. The event was kicked off with the EEP CfP14 video and followed by an interactive questions and answers on the EEP Africa Innovation window. A lot of interesting questions were made by interested project developers and hopefully all questions were answered. You can check the FAQs of the call on the website for more information or reach out to the EEP team through cfp@eepafrica.org. 

In Lusaka, EEP joined the two-day Zambia Off-Grid Investor Forum organized by Alliance for Rural Electrification and GOGLA, and supported by RECP. On Wednesday 12 June, EEP Head of Portfolio and Finance participated in a panel discussing financing for off-grid solutions and was able to share information about the open CfP14 to the conference audience consisting of local and regional project developers as well as investors and other sector players. EEP also shared experiences on off-grid projects in the region focusing on the importance of developing successful business models and on the current critical barriers of the sector.

The project developers participating in the forum were highly interested in the open CfP14. During the two days EEP held one-on-one discussions with countless project developers and answered questions on eligibility and application procedures. Many projects had already started their application process and wanted to ask details on the process going forward.

EEP wants to thank all project developers for their interest in both events. We are looking forward to receiving high quality applications from Kenya and Zambia. A big thank you to the organisers of Zambia Off-Gird Investor Forum who created a successful event that provided relevant information about the Zambian off-grid market that is developing rapidly at the moment.

The interest for CfP14 has been significant and the EEP team is doing its best to answer all questions.  We encourage all interested project developers to visit CfP14 page to learn more about the call for proposals and application procedures. Please read the application guidelines and other relevant documents carefully before you apply to make sure you qualify.Interested applicants have until June 28 at 13h Helsinki time to submit proposals.

A new video release and a panel of past EEP Africa grant recipients mark the launch of the latest EEP Africa Call for Proposals

With a well-attended event on the first day of Africa Utility Week (AUW) in Cape Town, the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) and the EEP Africa team officially opened the EEP Africa Innovation window for new proposals. Guidelines and a launch video for the latest call can be accessed here. Interested applicants have until June 28 at 13h Helsinki time to submit proposals.

The Energy and Environment Partnership covering Southern and East Africa (EEP Africa) is a multi-donor fund hosted by NDF and providing early stage grant and catalytic financing to innovative clean energy projects, technologies and business models. It operates as an open, competitive challenge fund through regular rounds of Calls for Proposals (CfPs). Current funding partners include Austria, Finland and NDF.

Kicking off the event, Wim Jonker Klunne, Lead Coordinator for EEP Africa told the audience, “Coming straight from a panel on minigrid development just prior to this launch where two of the other panelists came from the EEP Africa portfolio, it is very clear that we have been able to advance projects on the ground with real impact, and we see a very clear signal that EEP Africa financing remains critical to the development of the clean energy sector in the region.”

“We have been working toward this day for more than 18 months. Thanks to so many people and partners for bringing us here,” said Charles Wetherill, NDF Manager for the EEP Africa Fund. “The next step is up to you in the audience, the project developers. Bring your best ideas, and let’s get to work on the next generation of innovative clean energy businesses, projects and technologies supporting sustainable and inclusive green growth in Southern and East Africa.”

EEP Africa was first launched in 2010 under the leadership of Finland with co-financing from Austria and the UK. It has been at the forefront of efforts to fast track clean energy access and sustainable and inclusive green growth across the Southern and East Africa region, channelling more than EUR 57 million to 200+ pioneering projects leveraging clean energy technologies and business models to transform lives and livelihoods for the very poor.

 EEP projects have improved energy access for close to a million households, contributed to more than 8,000 new jobs, of which more than 3,000 accrued to women, resulted in more than 1.3 million tonnes of direct CO₂ equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and leveraged more than €150 million in additional investment.

 The event also saw the release of a new EEP Africa video and featured a panel of past recipients of EEP Africa financing including Marius Hugo, Managing Director at Mean Sea Level, a wave energy developer in South Africa, Dan Klinck, CEO at East Africa Power, a hydro power developer in Rwanda, Prosper Magali, Director for Business Development at Ensol Energy, a minigrid developer in Tanzania and Rehema Nakyazze, CEO at UgaStove, a clean cook stove manufacturer in Uganda.

 The event came one day after the latest EEP Africa Investor Forum which put investor representatives together with EEP Africa project developers for an afternoon of pitches, matchmaking and deal flow identification.

For more information and updates on future EEP Africa CfPs and investor events, please follow this space or get in touch at info@eepafrica.org.

Photo credit: True Story Studio

We warmly welcome you to join the EEP Africa Call for Proposals Launch at the African Utility Week in Cape Town on 15 May. The event takes place at 16:30 in the Workshop area 1. Please see more information here and remember to register for a free exhibition pass to enter the event. At the Launch you will have an opportunity to meet the EEP team, learn more about the application process and hear first-hand experiences from former EEP project developers.

In addition to the official Call for Proposals Launch, the EEP team is hosting an exhibition stand at the African Utility Week during the three days of the expo. Please come visit us at stand J11 to discuss the financing opportunities and details of the Call for Proposals and hear more about EEP. On Wednesday 16 May from 9:00 to 12:00 the EEP team has specifically reserved time to answer questions on the Call for Proposals.

Leveraging public financing to scale up progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) was the theme of a COP23 side event and panel discussion hosted by the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) on Tuesday 14 November in Bonn. Pasi Hellman, NDF’s Managing Director, kicked off the event at the Nordic Pavilion where Nordic finance institutions showcased their work: “We are actively leveraging NDF’s wide array of financing instruments to support delivery of the SDGs and NDCs in our partner countries”.

The conversation was anchored around a presentation of results and vision for the next phase of EEP S&EA as a concrete case study illustrating precisely the role of well targeted donor commitments catalysing private sector engagement on the SDGs and NDCs. The phase III of EEP S&EA will be launched in January 2018 as a multi-donor trust fund under the overall leadership of NDF and fully aligned with the SDGs and NDCs for the countries of the region.

NDF highlighted that EEP has established a strong brand for delivery, impact and effectiveness and committed more than EUR 50 million in direct financing to more than 200 pioneering projects leveraging clean energy technology and innovative energy access business models to transform lives and livelihoods and support the growth of a vibrant green economy in the region. EEP Programme Director Wim Jonker Klunne participated in the events and provided background on the results achieved by EEP. He also highlighted the role of young entrepreneurs within the portfolio and the partnerships formed with other initiatives to advance the sector.

The event was moderated by Charles Wetherill from NDF and brought together representatives from EEP donors MFA Finland and ADA as well as a group of panelists including Sheila Oparaocha from the ENERGIA International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy (ENERGIA), Mahua Acharya from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Monojeet Pal from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Naeeda Crishna Morgado from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The importance of blended finance arrangements and risk sharing between the public and private sector for scaled-up impact was emphasized by the panelists throughout the event as well as the need for linking youth and women to capital. Wetherill closed the event pointing out the annual USD 2 trillion gap (see OECD report) between actual public financing flows and what developing countries need to achieve the SDGs and commitments from the Paris Climate Agreement. “We quite simply have no choice. To close this gap and achieve these goals, we must blend our financing with other stakeholders.”

Photos: NDF/Joel Sheakoski