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Portugal’s RVE.Sol has signed an agreement with the county government of Busia under which the company will finance, build and operate mini-grids across the county, according to the Lusophone Renewable Energy Association. The project aims to reach 100% electrification in the county by 2030, and RVE.Sol is expected to build 15 solar photovoltaic and battery-powered mini-grids with diesel back-up in 2018 and 40 mini-grids in 2019. The systems will serve 2,800 customers, including 300 small businesses.

Energie du Mali (EDM) has issued a general procurement notice for the construction of the Djenné and Talo mini-hydropower plants on the Bani River, the principal tributary of the Niger River in Mali, as well as for institutional support and project management services. Tenders are expected to be launched in October. EDM has also invited expressions of interest by 30 April from consultants to manage and oversee the construction of the Talo project and its associated distribution grid.

A new investment vehicle has been established to invest in regional partners for UK-based off-grid solar company BBOXX. The vehicle, named Beam, will be managed by BBOXX shareholder Bamboo Capital Partners. Beam has been designed to support BBOXX’s ambition of expanding into 15 to 20 countries over the next five years. The company is operating in Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Togo. Bamboo’s Florian Kemmerich told African Energy that the terms of the first transaction were being negotiated.

Finland’s Wärtsilä Corporation on 20 March announced the completion of a 15MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at the Iamgold Essakane mine in north-east Burkina Faso. The inauguration on 16 March was overseen by President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.Comprising nearly 130,000 solar PV panels, the plant will add to an existing 55MW heavy fuel oil plant to create what the developers describe as the largest hybrid PV-diesel plant in the world, and one of the largest solar facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.

US solar developer Renewvia Energy will commission three solar and battery-powered micro-grids on islands in Lake Victoria over the next six months, providing power for around 4,000 homes and businesses. A system on Ringiti island in Homa Bay is likely to begin operating this month and another on Ndeda island in Siaya county in May. The final grid on Mahanga island, also in Siaya county, will come online around July.

The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) has made $6.5m available through its Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Technologies (React) competition facility to fund small and medium-sized energy companies to accelerate access to renewable energy in rural Zimbabwe.The funds are part of the $48m released by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) to finance React projects in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa.The funding to Zimbabwe is the second disbursement by AECF in less than a year.

The World Bank Group’s International Development Association has approved a $375m loan for its Ethiopian Electrification Programme (ELEAP), the World Bank announced on 1 March. This will support the country’s National Electrification Programme (NEP), which aims to achieve universal electricity access by 2025 and is expected to require $1.5bn over the next five years. The NEP was developed with World Bank support and launched in November 2017. It is intended to shift focus away from infrastructure development towards service delivery.

The Off-Grid Clean Energy Facility (OCEF) invites proposals by 22 May from private companies, NGOs, communities and other entities to demonstrate viable off-grid, clean energy solutions. The Millennium Challenge Account-Benin (MCA-Benin II) will provide funding totalling $12m for the successful projects. MCA-Benin II was created to implement the programme of a second grant agreement (compact) signed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, acting on behalf of the US government, in September 2015.

UK-based BBOXX has secured a $4m local currency loan from government-owned Union Togolaise de Banque (UTB) to fund the first phase of the company’s activities in Togo. The Togolese government aims to increase access to electricity from 36% in 2016 to 60% in 2022 under its Accelerated Growth and Employment Strategy. In rural areas, a government study identified 300,000 households that cannot economically be connected to the grid but which are suitable for solar home systems.

In the latest partnership between a European utility and emerging off-grid solar company, Mobisol GmbH and Rafiki Power (E.ON Offgrid solutions GmbH) announced on 7 March that they were partnering to pilot hybrid grids in rural Tanzania. Rafiki is a micro-grid provider which emerged from German utility E.ON’s internal start-up incubator :agile. The pair aim to use a combination of mini-grids installed by Rafiki and Mobisol’s solar home systems (SHS) to supply off-grid customers.

Valencia-headquartered off-grid solar company Solaris Offgrid on 13 March announced partnerships with German solar home systems (SHS) manufacturer Fosera and French impact investor Gaia Impact Fund. Solaris and Fosera have been collaborating to integrate Solaris’ software platform, developed through its operations in Tanzania, with Fosera’s customisable solar products, which range from small lanterns and lighting kits to SHS able to power TVs, fridges and fans. Fosera has distributed more than 300,000 SHS to date.

London-based private equity firm Helios Investment Partners led a $55m funding round in January for Off Grid Electric, a solar home system provider with Silicon Valley origins. The round, supported by General Electric Ventures and existing investors, is believed to be the biggest equity investment to date in the off-grid power sector. “As the largest private equity firm exclusively focused on Africa, energy access is a priority theme for Helios,” Helios co-founder and managing partner Tope Lawani said.

The Foundation Rural Energy Services (FRES) invites bids by 7 March for the supply, installation and commissioning of a 75kWp solar photovoltaic plant in the village of Diaramana in the Ségou region of south-central Mali. The project, to be financed through the European Commission’s ACP-EU Energy Facility 10th European Development Fund, requires the solar plant’s integration with a generator, which is to be supplied separately and connected to a mini-grid in the village.

The World Bank announced on 17 January that the International Development Association would provide a $20m grant to help improve the performance of Central African Republic’s power and water suppliers, Energie Centrafricaine (Enerca) and Société des Eaux de Centrafrique (Sodeca), and increase access to water and electricity in the capital Bangui and the towns of Bambari and Berberati.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $30m investment in the Facility for Energy Inclusion Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (FEI Ogef), which will provide debt finance for the off-grid power sector. Investments have also been approved by Calvert Impact Capital (CIC, $10m), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and €6m ($7m) from the Nordic Development Fund (NDF), which also agreed a €0.5m grant for technical assistance. FEI Ogef comes as rapidly expanding off-grid solar companies are looking at options for raising larger tranches of debt funding.