The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) has signed its 30^th project agreement to scale up energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. Access to electricity will improve living conditions, support economic development and help accelerate the green transition.

This latest BGFA agreement in Uganda has been signed with NOA Energy Services Uganda (NOA Uganda) to deploy mini-grids in rural communities in Uganda. In total, up to EUR 2.3 million in results-based financing will be provided by BGFA. It is expected that this will mobilise at least EUR 2.3 million in additional co-financing over the coming four-year implementation period.

NOA Energy Services Uganda is a mini-grid developer that has been active in Uganda since 2018. In Northern Uganda, the company has worked with national authorities to electrify 25 villages in Lamwo and also currently operates four mini-grids in the Bunjako area, south of Kampala, where new mini-grids will be constructed with support from BGFA. Today, NOA Uganda is owned by the French company NEOT Offgrid Africa, an investment platform designed to support Africa’s energy transition owned by two impact funds.

“Collaboration between all stakeholders is key to accelerating rural electrification in Uganda. We are grateful for the financial support from the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa, which will enable us to scale up our business operations and establish further energy connections in rural communities, serving the people who need access to electricity the most,”says Alex Wanume, Country Director at NOA Energy Services Uganda.

With the results-based financing from BGFA, the company aims to install 3,300 energy service subscriptions by constructing and deploying eight containerised solar mini-grids on Bunjako Island, in the Mpigi district. The implemented project is expected to have a total solar PV installed capacity of 1,030 kWp, with combined lithium-based storage of 1,999 kWh. In addition to supporting electricity access for the communities, NOA Uganda will provide electric pressure cookers, refrigerators and PURE appliances to its customers.

”The REEEP team is looking forward to working with NOA Uganda on technical assistance, supporting them to meet their BGFA objectives and sustainably scale up their operations,’ says Antoine Lucic, Senior Analyst. ‘Their business model incorporating mini-grid deployment and PURE technologies sits at a nexus REEEP views as crucial to sustainable prosperity and creating resilient livelihoods.”

In total, the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa has now contracted 30 companies in sub-Saharan Africa, across Burkina Faso, DRC, Liberia, Uganda and Zambia. Once implemented, the current programme portfolio will have the potential to reach over 8.7 million people across these six countries. The BGFA funding window in Uganda is funded by Denmark and Sweden. Norway will also contribute to the implementation of this project.

For further information on REEEP’s activities on BGFA, please contact:

Giuseppe Gregu, Senior Programme Manager at REEEP
giuseppe.gregu@reeep.org

For further information on Noa, please contact:

Alex Wanume, Country Director at Noa Uganda
alex.wanume@noauganda.com  +256 78 8882 850

About NOA Energy Services Uganda

NOA Uganda is an off-grid renewable energy developer, technology designer and integrator. The company focus on renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, they have two key projects in full operation, providing power to over 30,000 people in rural Uganda. NOA Uganda’s current pipeline provides over 10,000 connections, benefiting over 100,000 people. Read more at www.noauganda.com

About BGFA

The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) is a multi-donor facility managed by Nefco, an international financial institution based in Helsinki, Finland, and implemented by Nefco, REEEP and NIRAS, a development and engineering consultancy company headquartered in Denmark.

The current EUR 126 million BGFA programme was established in 2019 on Sweden’s initiative through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), expanding on the successful Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia (BGFZ) designed and implemented by REEEP and the Swedish Embassy in Lusaka. BGFA has since been developed into multi-donor programme funded by Denmark through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany through its development bank KfW, Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Norad and Sweden. Power Africa, an initiative administered by USAID, is providing an in-kind technical assistance contribution.

Photo: Mini-grid in operation in Pangira, Uganda. – NOA Energy Services Uganda