Amsterdam, 11 December 2024 – In late November 2024, CEI Africa signed an agreement with the German development bank KfW to receive an additional EUR 24 million grant to expand its program and continue to improve access to energy for rural households and enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The contribution was made on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

This grant will be distributed across the various investment and grant windows of CEI Africa, offering financing for green mini-grid developers and companies in the off-grid solar sector. This includes off-grid enterprises deploying equipment such as solar-powered mills, pumps, and cold storage solutions.

Under the Crowdlending window, CEI Africa, together with the German Government, has the unique approach of offering loan instruments alongside crowdlenders, allowing private capital to be leveraged to build green energy access across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Smart Outcomes Fund window, offering a range of results-based financing and outcome-based grants, with a particular focus on women, will help build green electricity connections for small and medium businesses and households in SSA.

CEI Africa Executive Board member Claudia Vroom: “CEI Africa’s work to promote access to energy in Sub-Saharan Africa is needed now more than ever. The momentum of the Foundation’s operations is accelerating, and therefore this grant is very welcome. It supports CEI Africa’s mission and allows it to further expand outreach and increase impact.”

The Head of Division 423 Energy at BMZ, Stella Seibert-Palascino, said “We are convinced that the Foundation is excellently positioned to meet the growing need for access to energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. With its broad range of financing instruments to support private solar companies in Africa, the Foundation is able to meet the specific economic challenges.”

For more information, please contact info@cei-africa.com.

About CEI Africa

CEI Africa was established by KfW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2021 to improve access to energy for rural households and enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022 the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) joined as Contributor to CEI Africa. CEI Africa works with financers, off-grid solar and mini-grid experts, to develop investment solutions that bridge the financing gap in the most challenging access to energy sub-sectors.

About KfW

KfW Bankengruppe, founded in 1948, is the German development bank and one of the world’s leading development banks. It is 80% owned by the Federal Government and 20% by the federal states.

The business sector of KfW Development Bank carries out Financial Cooperation (FC) projects with developing countries and emerging economies on behalf of the German Federal Government, especially of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Their goal is to combat poverty, secure peace, protect the environment and the climate as well as ensure fair globalization.