Grants & Funding

GSMA

GSMA Innovation Fund for Green Transition

SMEs using mobile and digital technology for climate and energy innovation. Requires 25% matching. Global, including Nigeria and all LMICs.

£100K to £200K

Closes 6 Apr 2026

Horizon Europe

LEAP-SE Europe-Africa Sustainable Energy Call

Research institutions and companies in EU-Africa consortia. Smart grids, hydrogen, renewables, energy system integration.

€14.5M programme

Closes 24 Jun 2026

African Development Bank

SEFA: Project Preparation, Equity & Enabling Environment Grants

Three windows: project preparation ($30M to $200M projects), equity investments (up to $30M), and enabling environment support. Contributions rose to $88M in 2025. Now targeting $2.5B pipeline by 2028. Testing clean cooking and commercial bank financing product lines. Africa-wide.

$30M to $200M

Rolling · Africa-wide

Shell Foundation

ClimaFii Alliance Climate Innovation Grants

Early-stage climate ventures supporting microenterprises. Focus on energy access and mobility across Sub-Saharan Africa.

$45K to $70K

Rolling

EEP Africa

EEP Africa Early-Stage Clean Energy Grants

Grants and repayable grants for pilot, replication, and scale-up projects. Technology agnostic (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro). Southern and East Africa. 30 to 50% co-financing required. 2026 CfP closed, next window expected.

€200K to €500K

Next window pending

GIZ / EU

GET.invest Finance Catalyst

Free technical assistance plus investor matching for African SMEs and project developers. De-risking and finance facilitation for renewable energy projects.

TA + matching

Rolling

Green Climate Fund

GCF Simplified Approval Process

Adaptation and mitigation projects including energy access. Developing countries via accredited entities. Streamlined process for smaller projects.

Up to $25M

Rolling

Climate Investment Funds

CIF Industry Decarbonization Program

Industrial decarbonisation and clean energy infrastructure in emerging markets. Part of the broader $1B programme.

Part of $1B

Rolling

UNEP / Frankfurt School

UNEP Seed Capital Assistance Facility (SCAF)

Repayable grants for early-stage renewable energy projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. 33 projects funded since 2014 including the 38 MW Kodéni solar plant in Burkina Faso. Mandate extends through 2026.

Repayable grants

Through 2026

World Bank

DARES: Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up

Solar home systems and mini-grids for 17.5 million Nigerians. First grant signings with 8 renewable energy companies completed. Monitor disbursement velocity: approved 2023, first activity 2025.

$750M approved

Active · Disbursing

Federal Government of Nigeria / IFC

Nigeria ₦1.5 Trillion ($1B) Domestic Green Bond

Renewables, low-carbon infrastructure, emissions reduction. IFC providing structuring support. Timing critical given the Hormuz oil windfall: NESG projects ₦30.2 trillion in additional revenue.

₦1.5T ($1B)

2026 · Structuring

Rural Electrification Agency

REA Mini-Grid Financing Facility

Renewable mini-grids for public infrastructure. First major naira-denominated renewable energy facility at this scale.

₦100B

Active

NSIA / SEforALL / ISA / Africa50

DRE Nigeria Fund

Distributed renewable energy deployment across Nigeria. Fund structuring in progress. Announced March 2025.

$500M target

Structuring

AECF

AECF Energy Transition Challenge Fund

5-year programme supporting Nigeria-based enterprises. Power, industry, and residential sectors aligned with the Energy Transition Plan.

Varies

Active

AIIM / FSD Africa / Allied Climate Partners

African Transition Acceleration Fund (ATAF)

First close $50M. IFC, KfW, and Proparco as co-investors. Clean electrons, sustainable transport, clean molecules. Pan-African.

$200M target

First close done

Proparco / Helios

Helios Climate Fund (Second Closing)

Private investment mobilisation for Africa's low-carbon transition. Institutional capital aggregation.

$250M

Second closing

Acumen

Hardest-to-Reach Energy Fund

Off-grid energy access for 70 million people in high-risk frontier markets including Somalia and other conflict-affected regions.

$250M

Active

EIB / AfDB / EBRD / BII

Obelisk Project Financing (Egypt)

DFI consortium model for Africa's largest hybrid facility: 1.1 GW solar plus 100MW/200MWh battery storage in Egypt.

$150M (EIB)

Active

European Investment Bank

EIB Mission 300 Renewable Energy Pledge

Over €1 billion for Sub-Saharan Africa. Solar, wind, hydro, and grid infrastructure. Supporting 300 million new connections by 2030. Announced March 2026.

€1B+

March 2026