The U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), an independent U.S. Government Agency established by Congress to support and invest in African owned and led enterprises and ALL ON, an impact investing company established to stimulate the development of collaborative partnerships for innovative solutions that facilitate increased access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy sources in Nigeria invites applications for:

Title: USADF-All On Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge

Background on the Off-Grid Energy Challenge

The Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge is a joint initiative of the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and All On and is designed to achieve the following results:

To increase electrical generation to unserved and underserved communities through sustainable business model solutions;

To expand electricity access – delivered through off-grid solutions such as home systems or micro-grids;

To increase access to electricity for productive and/or household use - while this may include power to meet household consumer needs, emphasis is also given to the delivery of power to productive or commercial activities including agricultural production and processing, commercial enterprises, and others.

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 creating60 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.

Background On The USADF-All On Partnership

All On is an impact investing company established to stimulate the development of collaborative partnerships for innovative solutions that facilitate increased access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy sources in Nigeria. All On seeks both financial returns and social impact to provide or improve energy access for millions of households and small and medium enterprises. In December 2017, USADF and All On signed a Statement of Intent to combine their respective and complementary strengths and areas of expertise to fund companies with a combination of grant dollars and loans and/or equity investments.

Introduction

USADF and All On are excited to request proposals for the USADF-All On Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge. Proposals of up to US$100,000 in 50/50 blended grant/ debt or equity per award will be considered and approximately ten awards are anticipated.

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 – extending the delivery of electrification to un-served 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 in the form of grant funds
Access to intensive local technical assistance and governance support

Eligibility Criteria

USADF and All On will consider proposals from 100% African-owned and majority Nigerian-owned and Nigerian-managed companies. Passports or other government-issued IDs of owners and senior managers must be submitted with the applications. The companies applying must be for-profit enterprises and must not be government-owned or operated in any way.   Applicants may be developers of their own technology and/or may be acquiring and implementing technology developed elsewhere. Applicants need to be legally registered in Nigeria and demonstrate the capacity to track and manage the project resources and operate in good standing with the local governments in which they operate.

Winning proposals must:

Further develop, scale up or extend use of proven technologies for off–grid energy in Nigeria.

Benefit marginalized, or low income rural or urban populations currently underserved by utility companies, ideally with a focus on benefits to women and girls and operating in the Niger Delta.

Demonstrate financial sustainability or the potential for financial sustainability. Theproposed investment period must include approximately three months of generation of electricity (or generation of energy) and revenue/cash flow from sales.



Interested? See application details here>>>https://www.infomaza.com/nigeria-off-grid-challenge