FUNDED PROJECTS

Innovex, a Ugandan technology company, focuses on embedded systems, connected devices, and wireless communication technologies. In response to challenges in sub-Saharan Africa’s off-grid solar PV market, which is heavily reliant on Chinese-manufactured hardware, Innovex developed ‘Remot,’ an IoT solution for remotely monitoring and controlling solar PV systems. Initially, the hardware was designed in Uganda but manufactured in China, leading to delays and quality issues. With support from PREO, Innovex tested the viability of fully localising the design, manufacturing, and testing processes in Uganda, reducing costs and creating local jobs, while improving the accessibility and reliability of solar systems in the region.

InspiraFarms designs, develops, installs, services, and finances cold chain technology for fresh fruit and vegetables, flowers, and animal protein supply chains in Africa and other emerging markets. InspiraFarms found that traditional cooling methods were not effective for high value produce and that there was an unmet need for removing the field heat within hours of harvest. With support from PREO, InspiraFarms developed a pre-cooling solution and demonstrated financial viability of operating pre-coolers and created a market opportunity. Pre-coolers are a portable, quick, and field-level response to reduce external temperature shocks on fresh produce immediately after harvest – the units bridge the gap between the farmer collection point and the packshed, to reduce post harvest losses and increase revenue.

Under JUMEME’s new KeyMaker Model, the solar mini-grid company partners with village communities to harness local natural resources, leveraging reliable electricity from its mini-grids to create competitive products. With funding support from PREO, the venture aims to improve the local economy of Maisome island by creating jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities around Tilapia fish trading on Lake Victoria, which JUMEME collects, freezes using its own electricity, and delivers. This approach not only ensures high-quality fish for the market but also allows JUMEME to offer better prices to fisherfolk while maintaining profitability and increasing energy uptake from the local population (due to an improved economy).

In Nigeria, unreliable refrigeration causes fish traders to lose about 30% of their products due to spoilage from power outages and high diesel generator costs. To address this, Koolboks, with support from PREO, is developing a sustainable business model by offering female fish traders access to off-grid solar refrigerators. Partnering with local organisations in Lagos, Koolboks will introduce a lease-to-own program for solar-powered refrigerators, scaling up from a successful 2020 pilot. This initiative aims to provide 300 affordable refrigerators to over 200 female traders across 12 markets and evaluate the broader social and economic benefits of solar refrigeration, also extending the solution to other frozen goods vendors.

LAGAZEL, the first African company to manufacture solar lamps locally, addresses the critical electricity deficit affecting 640 million people on the continent. By providing a reliable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective lighting solution, LAGAZEL improves access to essential services and promotes economic development. With support from PREO, LAGAZEL has expanded its operations to Burkina Faso and Benin, producing durable solar lamps and home systems from recyclable metal. The company’s partnership with IFSRA further assesses the socio-economic benefits of its work, underscoring a commitment to local value creation and job sustainability.

Lay Volunteers International Association (LVIA), through its pilot project in Isiolo County, Northern Kenya, will introduce solar-powered solutions for off-grid milk pasteurization and cooling, aiming to enhance sustainable livelihoods in climate-affected pastoral regions. With climate change causing severe droughts and prompting Borana pastoralists to adopt drought-resistant camels, camel milk has become a significant commodity linked to urban markets. Supported by PREO funding and local partners, LVIA’s project seeks to improve camel milk handling and trading practices, establish solar-powered milk processing and cold storage facilities managed by women, create a solar-powered cold chain for high-quality milk transport, and develop a marketing strategy to access upscale markets in Nairobi.

M-KOPA Solar, with PREO funding support, is piloting a project in rural Kenya to test whether providing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with an affordable bundle of a solar home system, smartphone, and e-voucher for business stock can enhance their economic viability. Not only do micro-enterprises stock essential household goods, they can also provide other downstream services to communities, such as phone-charging, telecom data vouchers, mobile money services, etc. The bundle, sold on a PAYG basis in collaboration with an e-commerce platform, aims to empower MSMEs by offering them access to affordable business stock on the platform and business management tools, while unlocking access to credit and energy for their businesses. The project targets businesses like general stores and agribusinesses, aiming to boost revenues, build competitiveness through the adoption of e-commerce, create jobs, digitise rural supply chains, and upskill entrepreneurs, with a focus on gender balance in business ownership of the enterprises.

Mobile Power has developed a battery-as-a-service rental model that allows customers in sub-Saharan Africa to replace fossil fuels with battery-powered solutions for their businesses, homes, and vehicles. This model involves three key components: MOPO Batteries for storing and transporting energy, MOPO Hubs for charging batteries and managing operations, and the MOPO Platform for tracking batteries and managing agent activities. The company’s innovative approach eliminates the need for credit checks and regular payments, offering customers flexibility in accessing energy. With support from PREO, Mobile Power has successfully tested its e-motorbikes and battery swap model in Sierra Leone, which allows 3-wheeled electric vehicle owners to rent a battery pack for transportation and freighting, thereby utilising mini-grid electricity for sustainable transportation while improving productivity through access to new markets and reduced transport times (versus manual transportation).

OnePower (1PWR), a solar power developer in Lesotho, has been instrumental in advancing the country’s renewable energy sector through both on-grid and off-grid projects. The company led a consortium that won Lesotho’s first tender for a 20MW utility-scale PV plant and designed, built, and operates the nation’s first privately financed mini-grid. As Africa’s sole manufacturer of single-axis tracking frames for solar panels, 1PWR, with PREO funding support, has enhanced local manufacturing capabilities to deliver solar PV trackers, smart meters, and mini-grid Power houses to mini-grid electrification projects underway in Lesotho – reducing reliance on imports and fostering local employment. By localising production, 1PWR is driving local value creation and demonstrating a roadmap for reducing the cost of off-grid electricity supply with results that are scalable to rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa.

PEG Africa, a leading pay-as-you-go solar company in West Africa, plans to provide 160 solar irrigation systems on credit to smallholder farmers in Senegal, with support from PREO. The initiative aims to improve vegetable farm productivity and reduce reliance on fossil fuels and manual labour. The project addresses key challenges such as the high upfront costs and limited financing options that hinder farm productivity in Senegal. By partnering with two leading solar-irrigation suppliers, PEG Africa will introduce seven types of pumps and enhance the distribution, supply chain, and after-sales network. If successful, the project could scale small-scale irrigation to thousands of farm families across Senegal over five years.

Practical Action Consulting, in partnership with African Mini Grids and Modern Farming Technologies, is working to support women smallholder farmers in Malawi to create a sustainable, full-value-chain business model in agriculture. As agriculture in Malawi is mostly rain-fed, erratic rainfall can impact yeilds and quality of produce. With limited access to cold storage further compounding the challenge for farmers, as much as 30% of produce can be lost. As well as increasing productivity and quality of produce, the PREO-funded project aims to improve opportunities for women farmers, supporting them to overcome challenges to land access and delivering capacity development and access to affordable greenhouses with solar drip irrigation and a solar-powered chilling facility.

REPARLE (Renewable Energy Powering Agriculture and Rural Livelihood Enhancement) is developing a hybrid solar and gasification project in Northern Uganda. The off-grid project aims to address the significant energy access challenges in Uganda’s agricultural sector, where 80% of the population relies on farming but faces limitations due to outdated infrastructure, lack of electricity, and inefficient systems. By providing sustainable and affordable energy, REPARLE will power crop supply chains, electric vehicles, and clean cooking fuel production – ultimately boosting local economies, increasing farmers’ incomes, and reducing reliance on external aid. PREO funding will support the installation of agro-processing facilities, mini-grid powered EVs, solar PV systems, and a digital management platform to enhance the project’s infrastructure and efficiency, fostering a circular economy and improving market access to agricultural products.

Roam, formerly known as Opibus, is an electric mobility company focused on electrifying vehicles in Africa – starting with motorbike taxis, or “boda-bodas,” which are a vital part of Kenya’s economy. Boda-bodas are popular for their affordability and speed, but they are often poorly maintained, inefficient, and contribute to pollution. Roam, with funding from PREO, is piloting electric motorbikes in Kenya to help improve driver incomes, reduce environmental impact, create green jobs, and support the country’s shift to zero-emission vehicles. The project is also exploring different payment models trialled to assess uptake and long-term business model viability while also to assessing how e-motorbike production can be scaled-up in Kenya to benefit the local economy.

Simusolar, a solar-powered agriculture equipment supplier, is focused on improving productivity for smallholder farmers in East Africa, particularly through irrigation solutions. Given that 95% of the region’s farmland relies solely on rain, Simusolar’s solar-powered water pumps have significant potential to boost sustainable agricultural productivity. Simusolar has developed affordable irrigation solutions, designed to suit the local context and specific needs of low-income farmers in Tanzania, offering flexible payment options through its PAYGo platform. With support from PREO, the company has expanded its services to various agricultural sectors in Uganda, establishing partnerships to address distribution challenges and reach more farmers.

SokoFresh supports smallholder farmers to reduce post-harvest loss and increase the value of their harvests, by unlocking access to off-grid cold storage, value-add activities and better buyers through cooling-as-a-service (CAAS) models. SokoFresh integrates cold storage, structured aggregation and market linkage activities into smallholder farmer value chains by offering these on a pay-as-you-store basis. Through a PREO-funded project, targeting local job creation and supporting higher incomes for smallholder farmers, the company has also improved quantity and quality of highly nutritious crops, and reduced the strain of agriculture on the local environment.

In Tanzania, over 17,000 schools lack access to electricity, negatively affecting student enrolment, lesson quality, and overall educational outcomes, which contributes to high child illiteracy rates. Trend Solar, with PREO support, is addressing this issue by using their PAYG solar home system network to enhance digital education in off-grid households. The company provides low-cost data, smartphones, and locally relevant educational content. The initiative includes affordable solar home systems bundled with user-friendly smartphones and data packages for rural families. Through the Ubongo app, children can access free educational content that supports early literacy, numeracy, gender equality, and digital skills, helping to integrate these communities to improve their educational and economic prospects.

TRī is an early-stage electric mobility company operating in Tanzania. The company offers affordable three-wheeled vehicles to professional drivers through a lease-to-own scheme. In a country where 50% of road transportation relies on two- and three-wheeled taxis, TRī aims to make the transition to electric vehicles easy and cost-effective for drivers. By providing fully maintained electric three-wheelers, TRī enables drivers to double their daily income, from $5 to $10, while also addressing range limitations through state-of-the-art speed chargers. With support from PREO, TRī seeks to demonstrate the validity of its financial and operational models, reduce emissions, and promote gender equality within its workforce and customer base.

Volt-Terra, a joint venture between INENSUS and Gourmet Gardens, focuses on developing mini-grid solutions to provide reliable and affordable electricity to rural communities in Uganda, enabling economic growth through improved agricultural practices. In July 2021, the partnership received a grant from PREO to test the KeyMaker Mini-Grid Business Model in agricultural value chains. The model uses mini-grid electricity to boost local agro-processing to help local farmers overcome the challenges the face in crop cultivation and price exploitation due to the inherent short shelf life of most agricultural products and limited or lack of energy access to promptly process their harvest – helping to create additional income for operators. The project, implemented in Kayonza, Uganda, involved building a 60kWp PV mini-grid, supporting vanilla and chili cultivation, and introducing an electric dryer to enhance crop processing and access value-added markets.