CEI Africa has committed $5.97 million in funding to 18 enterprises across eight African countries to help expand access to productive-use technologies. 

These companies are operating in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda. Of the 18 enterprises, six of them are locally owned, while two are majority female owned. Together, these projects are expected to impact over 123K people.  

The portfolio reflects the different ways productive-use energy is being applied across African markets. Supported solutions include solar irrigation pumps, refrigerators and freezers for cold-chain applications and food preservation, milk cooling tanks, shellers, water purification systems, and mills. 

Equally diverse are the ways in which these companies are making these technologies accessible to customers. Business models represented in the portfolio include direct sales, Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) and lease-to-own arrangements, allowing businesses and households to acquire productive assets through different payment structures. 

The grant component is designed to support the uptake of productive-use technologies that turn access to energy into practical economic activity – from irrigation and agricultural processing to cooling, food preservation, and clean water. 

By providing impact-based grants and accompanying technical assistance, CEI Africa continues to support productive-use business models that drive economic development.