Deadline: February 28, 2021
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 financing (grant/ debt or equity) per award will be considered, with a maximum of twenty (20) awards anticipated.
About the Challenge
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 creating 60 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. The challenge 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
Eligibility
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.
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 communities in the Niger Delta.
- Demonstrate financial sustainability or the potential for financial sustainability. The proposed investment period must include approximately three months of generation of electricity (or generation of energy) and revenue/cash flow from sales.
- Demonstrate a proven track record of experience or have project sponsors or partners with a proven track record of related experience.
- Propose a budget of no more than US$100,000. Proposals with budgets greater than US$100,000 must bring leveraged resources from one or more other sources that meet the total financing requirements. Leveraged funds from other private sector and donor sources are encouraged.
- Demonstrate clearly whether and how many new connections will be added, as well as potential for future replication. A “new connection” is defined as new mini-grid connection or home system installed.
- Applications for projects/ businesses leveraging wind, hydro, biomass, and gas as the energy source are greatly encouraged.
- Women-owned or -managed business is a plus.
Benefits
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 from All On in the form of grants, and from USADF in the form of Community Reinvestment Grant (CRG) funds. The CRG intends for grant recipients to recommit a percentage of grant funding to a local organization to further support community-level projects in Nigeria
- And, access to intensive local technical assistance and governance support
Timeline
Applications will be accepted from January 15, 2021 to February 28, 2021. Proposals received after the closing date will not be accepted. Applications are on a first come, first served basis, so it is advised that applications are submitted well ahead of the window close.
Applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a panel of judges with expertise in the field. Shortlisted applications will be contacted in February and March to begin the Phase II application process. Those that scale through the Phase II process will be contacted in May and June for due diligence purposes and for clarification of project concept and details. Applications that are not shortlisted will not be contacted. Winners are expected to be announced by October 2021.
Application
All applicants are required to use the linked business proposal template. The completed proposal template along with the required documentation should be submitted by email on or before February 28, 2021, to the following email address: OffGridChallengeNigeria2021@usadf.gov
Note that, proposals will only be accepted at the above email address.
For more information: Please direct all inquiries to OffGridChallengeNigeria2021@usadf.gov and for the full application procedure, please check the application pack.
To apply: Send all proposal to: OffGridChallengeNigeria2021@usadf.gov
