SADC RENEWABLE ENERGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT FACILITY

2^nd CALL FOR APPLICATIONS (WITH FOCUS ON WOMEN AND YOUTH LED ENTERPRISES) 

Local renewable energy entrepreneurs in the SADC[1] and Indian Ocean regions[2], are at the forefront of efforts to extend access to modern energy services largely because they are on the ground to offer tailor-made local solutions. Such entrepreneurs, however, face serious challenges including those related to business management and operations, as well as bringing their innovative ideas to fruition.

To overcome some of these challenges and strengthen the capacity of renewable energy entrepreneurs, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) established the Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship (Technical) Support Facility (ESF) in the SADC Region in April 2017.

The Facility serves as a technical support and mentorship platform to address some of the challenges experienced by the entrepreneurs, specifically, to enhance and strengthen the capacity of small-to-medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) in assessing the business potential of sustainable energy, developing viable business plans, and funding requests, managing and maintaining their businesses successfully. Furthermore, the Facility also aims to increase the confidence of financial institutions in sustainable energy systems and create linkages between the entrepreneurs and financial institutions.

Since its establishment, the Facility has successfully trained 88 entrepreneurs in three cohorts (32 in Cohort 1, 33 in Cohort 2, and 23 in Cohort 3). The participants have greatly benefited from the Facility’ training, mentorship, and networking activities. The Facility has gained a lot of traction and interest from the SMEs and stakeholders regionally and internationally. However, enterprises from Indian Ocean island states and those that are women-led or managed, in general, have been underrepresented.

The Facility has secured additional grant support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) to scale its implementation, with particular focus on women and youth-led enterprises. With additional funding from IRENA, the Facility has expanded to include participation from Indian Ocean island states.

The Call

Enterprises, especially women-led or women-managed or youths, from SADC Members and Indian Ocean Island States, are invited to submit their applications for technical support in the following two (2) areas:

1. Refining renewable energy project proposals in order to reach bankability.
2. Enterprise development through the Facility’s training and mentorship programme.

Please note that this is a Technical Support Facility and selected entrepreneurs will be sponsored to participate in the training workshops. Due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, the training may be held virtually. Sponsorship will cover the transportation and accommodation costs should the training be conducted physically. The Facility does not provide capital funding but facilitates enterprise financing through matchmaking and linking entrepreneurs with potential funders.

The applications[3] will go through a selection process and successful applicants will be contacted.

Submission: Please submit your applications using the Application Form to; energy@sacreee.org. Only electronic submissions using the Application Form will be considered. 

Please indicate the language of training you prefer for the training from the three (3): English, French or Portuguese.

Deadline: 12 June 2022 at 23H59 Central African Time (CAT)

The mandatory Application Form can be downloaded below.