Facility for Energy Inclusion: the new platform for financing small-scale renewables in Africa

The objective of this session was to introduce the initiative to a wide range of renewable energy financiers for fund investments and co-financing opportunities; and present the project selection criteria and financing terms to the sponsor and project developer community to identify potential pipeline opportunities.

The event targeted the renewable energy investor community, including Development Financing Institutions, international and African commercial banks, projects developers and sponsors.

The Facility of Energy Inclusion (FEI) is the African Development Bank’s  (AfDB) first blended finance facility in the energy sector dedicated to increasing access to energy through renewable energy technologies. FEI is part of the AfDB's New Deal on Energy for Africa, which aims to achieve universal energy access in Africa by 2025, including through increased co-financing and private sector investment in innovative on-grid and off-grid clean energy access solutions.

FEI provides a broad range of debt financing products through two windows/funds:

FEI On-Grid: Targeted $400 million debt fund supporting improved energy access through the development of small-scale renewable energy generation projects (of less than 25MW and $30 million funding), including independent power producers, mini-grids and captive power projects across Africa.

FEI Off-Grid: Targeted $100 million debt fund supporting the short-term growth of off-grid energy access companies and catalyzing their long-term capacity to access capital markets at scale. FEI OGEF will support pay-as-you-go system companies (PAYGO) and other innovative energy access distribution companies using solar technologies.