BGFA5 – Funding Lot #12: Up to EUR 6.3 million

BGFA5 aims to incentivise private companies, so called Energy Service Providers (ESPs), to scale up innovative sustainable businesses and thereby accelerate access to affordable and clean off-grid energy for customers living in underserved areas in Uganda. The indicative individual contract size is expected to be between EUR 1 and EUR 4 million.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible Applicants are private companies that have already established business in Uganda or are willing to establish a local business entity. In case the Applicant is not already established in Uganda, the application should be filed by the parent company. Nefco will only be able to enter into BGFA financing contracts with for-profit ESPs once established in Uganda and will require that the local company leads and undertakes full responsibility for the project implementation towards Nefco.

Those Applicants which were successful in securing financing under the previous funding round in Uganda (BGFA3) are not eligible for funding for similar solutions under this new Call (BGFA5).

Supported technology solutions

Applicants may freely choose to apply for BGFA5 funding for the provision of one type of off-grid solution: standalone solar systems; mini-/micro-grids; or productive use of energy. Each of these solutions can in turn use different technologies and business models for electricity generation and the provision of energy services.

To receive BGFA5 funding, ESPs are required to engage in selling and delivering affordable and renewable off-grid energy services directly to end consumers in an enduring and sustainable manner.

The Application process

BGFA5 will use a simplified, single stage application process, in which the applicants are requested to submit an application with streamlined requirements while still maintaining the BGFA approach. The evaluation of the received applications are expected to take place in end of Q2 2023 and qualified projects will undergo due diligence phase in autumn 2023. Project implementation is expected to start in 2023 and end in 2027.

Kindly note that the online application system opens at 16:00 Helsinki time (EEST) on 16 March 2023.

Questions and Answers

Applicants are requested to send any questions regarding the call and application process through the online application system at the latest by 6 April 2023. Answers will be published in a generic form and made available to all registered applicants in the application system on 14 April 2023. Please only post questions related to the BGFA5 funding round via the online application system’s support section, as specified in the Application Guidelines.

Download the Application Guidelines

Download the Application Guidelines for more information on the application process and eligibility criteria.