BGFA Impact

Our impact so far

Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa is the extension of the pilot project Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia (BGFZ), which was launched in 2016.

The BGFZ programme won the 2019 Ashden Award for Innovative Finance and a 2019 UN Global Climate Action Award in the category ‘’’Financing for Climate Friendly Investment’’. Beyond the awards, its impacts are visible today in the number of Zambians who benefit from the project’s success.

Initial impact results from pilot in Zambia

4 companies contracted to connect

1.6m

people to clean, affordable off-grid energy:

Emerging Cooking Solutions

Fenix International

Standard Microgrid

VITALITE Zambia

Results from initial pilot in Zambia

289,828

Energy Service Subscriptions Sold

1,507,105

Total Beneficiaries

1,376

Jobs Created

4,002

Businesses/Institutions Connected

4,077,735

Kg of C02 Mitigated Annually

$41m

Co-Funding Leveraged by ESPs (USD)

Real-time data powered by EDISON.

The Energy Data and Intelligence System for Off-Grid Networks (EDISON) was developed to allow for the tracking and verification of the progress of the Beyond the Grid Fund. EDISON automatically collects and manages data from the systems of Energy Service Providers contracted under the firts programme in Zambia, and displays key aggregated impact numbers on a public dashboard, updated a minimum of once daily from all sources.

Explore more impact data from the first funding round in Zambia here.

“We’re better informed because we can watch television and listen to the radio more often. It is safer outside because there are more lights. And this company has given me work.”

Godfrey Miti
Ngwerere

Find out more about how the Beyond the Grid Fund has improved communities in Zambia.

Impact Stories

What people say about the initial pilot Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia

“It’s really changed community life. People can get first-hand information from televisions or radio. These products have been extremely empowering by providing extra education and allowing more people to share knowledge.”

Tresphord Mwango
Regional Assistant Coordinator, VITALITE

“Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia has played an absolutely essential role in delivering catalytic early-stage capital to help Standard Microgrid and others de-risk high-impact activities benefitting Zambians.”

Matthew Alcock
Chief Technology Officer, Standard Microgrid

“It is our pleasure to award Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia. Their clean and affordable alternative to grid electricity serves as a beacon, guiding us towards a more sustainable future for all.”

Niclas Svenningsen
Manager, UN Climate Change Global Climate Action Programme

“[BGFZ] has enabled private sector companies to work effectively with Government and other partners to launch a thriving market for off-grid clean energy services in our country.”

Stephen Mwansa
Permanent Secretary for Administration, Office of the Vice President, Zambia

Contact us

Wish to know more about the BGFA programme? Kindly contact us through our website form.