Two more agreements have been signed by the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) programme with off-grid energy service companies to promote the expansion and scale-up of solar-powered water pumps in Uganda and high-quality solar home systems in Zambia. These agreements aim to increase the accessibility of energy in rural and peri-urban areas, promote productive use of energy, and make off-grid energy products more affordable in Uganda and Zambia.

Tulima Solar Ltd and d.light Zambia are the two service providers, with a total value of approximately EUR 3.9 million. These agreements will enable the establishment of around 105,200 new energy service connections, benefitting some 547,000 people in Uganda and Zambia.

Tulima Solar is a specialized distributor and provider of solar water pumps, primarily for smallholder agribusinesses and farmers. With the BGFA funding, Tulima Solar will accelerate sales of its solar-powered water pumps, aiming to establish up to 2,760 new energy connections and benefiting up to 14,300 people living in rural Uganda.

d.light Zambia is a solar home system distributor established in 2017 as a subsidiary of the d.light Group. With the BGFA funding, d.light Zambia plans to distribute over 102,000 new high-quality, clean, and affordable solar home systems in rural and peri-urban areas of Zambia, benefiting over 530,000 people.

These projects will generate job opportunities within the off-grid energy and productive use sector, support climate change adaptation within the agriculture sector in Uganda, enable better quality education in Zambia, and promote the increased usage of renewable energy sources.

The BGFA programme has contracted 15 projects so far, and more projects are under negotiation. A new funding round (BGFA5) is currently ongoing in Uganda, with private sector companies invited to apply for results-based funding by 4 May 2023.