Press Release

February 22, 2022

USADF and All On Launch the 2022 Edition of the Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge

USADF_AllOn Logos

  • The Challenge will provide up to US$100,000 per successful enterprise
  • The application window is open until March 18, 2022
  • This is a collaboration between USADF, All On, and The Rockefeller Foundation 

LAGOS, NIGERIA—February 22, 2022 The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and All On today announced the official opening of the 2022 Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge, which will provide up to US$100,000 in blended finance to each selected enterprise.

The Rockefeller Foundation, anchor partner of the recently launched Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, is also providing support to the All On Hub for the program. 

“We remain extremely encouraged that the Challenge is able to fund another cohort of strong winners in spite of a continued challenging Covid environment,” said Wiebe Boer, CEO, All On. “Eight of the 13 winning enterprises in 2021 include women in leadership roles, and we hope to see this number grow this year.”

The annual Challenge is a multi-year partnership that identifies and helps scale innovative off-grid solutions to “power up” unserved and underserved areas in Nigeria. The Challenge is delivered through a five-year partnership between USADF, a founding member of the U.S.-led Power Africa Initiative and an independent U.S. Government agency established by Congress to support and invest in African-owned and led enterprises, and All On, a Nigerian impact investing company seeded by Shell that invests in off-grid energy solution providers in Nigeria.

Entering the final year of the recently expanded five-year partnership, the parties will jointly provide funding to 100 percent African-owned and operated small and medium enterprises that improve energy access through off-grid energy solutions spanning solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and gas technologies.

The Challenge has awarded funds to 37 companies to date, totaling US$3.7 million in blended finance. Since inception, the Challenge has impacted an estimated 16,000 people, including 4,000 smallholder farmers, through clean energy.

Insufficient energy access has stifled economic activity, private investment, and job creation in Nigeria, all of which are needed to lift more than 100 million people out of poverty there and set them on a path to prosperity through improved livelihoods,” said USADF President and CEO Travis Adkins. “We’re proud that this force multiplier partnership serves as a model for supporting African enterprises in finding innovative and cost-effective ways to deliver clean energy to underserved and marginalized communities across Nigeria while combatting climate change, consistent with the Paris Agreement and sustainable development goals.”

A key difference in the 2022 Challenge will be a focus on the intersection of agriculture and clean energy, an even more targeted focus on productive use applications than in previous years.    

“We are extremely proud of the continued success of the collaboration between The Rockefeller Foundation, the newly launched Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and the All On Hub,” said Joseph Nganga, Managing Director of GEAPP in Africa. “The Hub has been instrumental in nurturing Nigerian enterprises that are making a difference in communities throughout Nigeria, and this Challenge is an excellent opportunity to accelerate our shared mission to nurture green businesses and jobs in the communities that are most in need.”

The 2022 Challenge is intended to identify a range of enterprises with solutions that will solve pain points and challenges that ultimately improve livelihoods and local economies in Nigeria.

Eligible enterprises may be developers of their own technology and/or acquiring and implementing technologies developed elsewhere. All applicants must be legally registered in Nigeria, be 100 percent African-owned and operated, and demonstrate the capacity to track and manage project resources and operate in good standing with the local governments in their areas of operation.

Up to US$50,000 will be provided in the form of convertible debt from All On along with up to US$50,000 in grant capital provided by USADF and the Rockefeller Foundation through the All On Hub for each selected company. Challenge winners will be selected based on their demonstrated abilities to increase sustainable energy access, specifically off-grid solutions, and extend the delivery of electrification to unserved and underserved communities throughout Nigeria.

To access the application form, visit: www.all-on.com/the-all-on-hub or www.usadf.gov/apply

All general inquiries and applications should be sent to:  all-on-communications@all-on.com

Application closes on March 18, 2022.

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About the United States African Development Foundation (USADF)
USADF is the U.S. government’s independent African enterprise development agency. The agency invests in African grassroots and small- and medium-sized businesses; promotes local economic development; and creates pathways to prosperity for underserved communities. Utilizing a community-led development approach, USADF provides seed capital and local project management assistance to early-stage African enterprises and entrepreneurs addressing Africa’s biggest challenges around food insecurity, insufficient energy access, and unemployment, particularly among women and youth.

To learn more, please visit www.usadf.gov.
Communications Contact: Afia Frempong 
Email: Comms1@usadf.gov

 

About All On

All On, an independent impact investing company, was seeded with funding from Shell, and works with partners to increase access to commercial energy products and services for unserved and underserved off-grid energy markets in Nigeria, with a special focus on the Niger Delta. All On invests in off-grid energy solutions spanning solar, wind, hydro, biomass and gas technologies deployed by both foreign and local access-to-energy companies that complement available grid power across Nigeria and help bridge the significant energy gap.

To learn more, please visit www.all-on.com.
Communications Contact: Adaobi K. Oniwinde
Email: all-on-communications@all-on.com

 

About The Global Energy Alliance for People And Planet

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) launched on November 2, 2021 at COP26 with USD10 billion of committed capital to accelerate investment in green energy transitions and renewable energy solutions in developing and emerging economies. This historic partnership leverages catalytic grant funding from The Rockefeller Foundation, Ikea Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund to unlock investment capital with the aim of mobilizing USD100 billion in public and private capital in order to reach one billion people with reliable, renewable power, avoid and avert four billion tons of carbon emissions, and create, enable, or support more than 150 million jobs and drive economic growth over the next decade. The Alliance serves as a platform for collaborative action and provides grant funding, technical assistance, and a range of financing options. For more information and to access the Global Call for Transformative Country Partnerships, please visit www.globalenergyalliance.org

Communications Contact: Njiru, Umuliza
Email: UNjiru@rockfound.org