The Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge is a joint initiative of the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and Allon Energy. The USADF and All On are requesting proposals from eligible Nigerian off-grid energy companies. Selected enterprises will receive funding in the form of convertible debt and grant capital.
The Off-Grid Energy Challenge is a key element of the Beyond the Grid sub-initiative of Power Africa, a U.S. Government-led partnership launched in 2013 to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 by increasing installed power capacity by 30,000 MW and creating 60 million new connections. Of these targeted 60 million new connections, as many as 25-30 million are expected to be added through off-grid solutions.
To be considered for the Challenge, applicants must be 100% African-owned, majority Nigerian-owned and -managed private companies registered in Nigeria and must be operating in Nigeria.
Projects are to be focused on increasing sustainable energy access, specifically off-grid solutions, and extending the delivery of electrification to unserved and underserved communities in Nigeria. The type of clean energy technologies to be proposed may include, but are not limited to, solar, hydro, wind, biomass, biogas, gas, and hybrid systems. Winning applicants will receive: – An investment in the form of a convertible loan at an affordable interest rate and/or an equity investment – Seed capital from All On in the form of grants, and from USADF in the form of Community Reinvestment Grant (CRG) funds. The CRG intends for grant recipients to recommit a percentage of grant funding to a local organization to further support community-level projects in Nigeria – Access to intensive local technical assistance and governance support
All instructions to apply are included in the document labeled “RFP,” uploaded below. The application template for applicants to fill in is also uploaded below.
Deadlines: February 28, 2021.
Please note that applications will be reviewed on a first come, first serve basis, so it is advised that applicants submit their proposals as soon as possible.
