Applications are open for the USADF-All e Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge. The Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge is a joint initiative of the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and All On and is designed to achieve the following results:

• To increase electrical generation to unserved and underserved communities through sustainable business model solutions.
• To expand electricity access – delivered through off-grid solutions such as home systems or micro-grids.
• To increase access to electricity for productive and/or household use – while this may include the power to meet household consumer needs, the emphasis is also given to the delivery of power to productive or commercial activities including agricultural production and processing, commercial enterprises, and others.

Benefits

Winning applicants of USADF-All e Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge will receive:

• An investment in the form of a convertible loan at an affordable interest rate and/or an equity investment.
• Seed capital from All On in the form of grants, and from USADF in the form of Community Reinvestment Grant (CRG) funds. The CRG intends for grant recipients to recommit a percentage of grant funding to a local organization to further support community-level projects in Nigeria.
• Access to intensive local technical assistance and governance support.

Criteria

• USADF and All On will consider proposals from 100% African-owned and majority Nigerian-owned and Nigerianmanaged companies. Passports or other government-issued IDs of all owners and senior managers must be submitted with the applications. If the applying company is owned wholly or in part by another company, passports or other government-issued IDs of its owners must also be provided.
• The applying companies must be for-profit enterprises and must not be government-owned or operated in any way.
• Applicants may be developers of their own technology and/or maybe acquiring and implementing technology developed elsewhere.
• Applicants need to be legally registered in Nigeria and demonstrate the capacity to track and manage the project resources and operate in good standing with the local governments in which they operate.

More information here