Our experience working with access-to-energy (A2E) and sustainable mobility (SM) start-ups in Africa has shown a market gap where lack of access to early-stage support constrains access to funding for African-led start-ups in the sectors. Effective mentorship has been shown to increase the chances of start-up success by up to three times. Co-funded by UK…
Since 2020, Shell Foundation in partnership with USAID and UK FCDO has supported Jaza Energy to develop affordable energy products for low-income households in Tanzania, where – like many other African countries – around 50% of the population currently live on less than $2/day. Jaza has built solar battery retail locations providing meaningful employment to…
Rural households in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) working in the agriculture sector feed much of the world, bear little responsibility for driving climate change, and are being disproportionately impacted by climate-related shocks. Climate finance represents a critical opportunity to bring investment and innovations to agricultural settings to improve resilience and drive new and more…
Clean, safe, and affordable energy is crucial to empowering communities and improving the lives of those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Increasing access to finance for decentralised renewable energy solutions will enable homes, hospitals and schools to be supplied with reliable sources of electricity. The D-REC Initiative is a multi-stakeholder platform launched…
CrossBoundary Energy’sInnovation Lab has published a report on the impact of grain mills and fridges on mini-grid profitability, the latest in a series of insight papers testing business model innovations for the sector. The Innovation Lab is the first research and development fund exclusively focused on testing new business model innovations for mini grids. The…
Over the course of Shell Foundation’s work supporting innovative start-ups working in emerging markets, we have seen market-level challenges that have the potential to inhibit the development and scaling potential of new solutions that cannot be solved by single enterprises alone. Since 2010 we’ve supported the establishment of institutions that work to address these challenges…
Agriculture and energy are high on the development agenda. They are critical in driving the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by supporting food security, enabling value addition and reducing poverty. Agriculture and energy are also closely linked to climate change and part of the solution. The African agribusiness sector could reach US$1 trillion…
Today we launch our latest research at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, looking at what is needed to deliver a low-carbon universal energy access in three key markets – Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda – and highlighting potentially disruptive ‘game-changers’ for each market. The country deep dives represent the third phase of the research, conducted by…
SF partner Odyssey Energy Solutions recently announced its acquisition of the remote monitoring and control technology, Ferntech. This development will allow Odyssey to expand its service offering and provide multiple stakeholders with a more comprehensive asset management platform to scale investment in the renewable mini-grid sector. Co-created by SF in 2017 and co-funded with UK aid and USAID, Odyssey has successfully built the mini-grid sector’s only investment and…
The “India Covid Response Programme for Agriculture Transition” was formally launched last week with more than 400 people attending a virtual event. The work done by all the programme partners to get the facility over the line was acknowledged and there were insights on the tremendous impact this Programme will have on lending for clean…