The United Kingdom has invested more than £2 million in 10 clean energy projects across eight African countries, supporting efforts to provide reliable electricity for hospitals, telecommunications networks, agriculture, fishing communities and small businesses.
The projects, announced by ZE-Gen on Wednesday, are aimed at helping clean energy companies move from successful pilot schemes to larger-scale deployment while reducing dependence on fossil-fuel generators in areas with unreliable or limited grid electricity.
The projects span Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique and Lesotho, with applications covering healthcare, telecommunications, food production, fisheries, rural electrification, mini-grids and energy services for small businesses.
In Nigeria, Farm Warehouse will deploy 100 solar-powered cold storage systems across major markets to help fish, meat and dairy vendors reduce spoilage and improve incomes.
KAMIM Technologies will establish four solar-powered agricultural hubs combining irrigation, cold storage, ice production and grain processing, with the aim of helping farmers and traders reduce losses and access wider markets without relying on diesel-powered equipment.
The initiative is backed by the UK Government’s Ayrton Fund through the Transforming Energy Access platform, funded through its Global Research and Technology Development portfolio.
The latest portfolio builds on previous UK-supported innovation programmes, including ZE-Gen, Energy Catalyst and Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities, which have supported businesses to develop and test clean energy technologies in emerging markets.
Lily Beadle, Programme Director of ZE-Gen, said the projects demonstrated how clean energy could support essential services and businesses across Africa.
“These ZE-Gen supported projects show how clean energy can power the services and businesses people rely on every day – from hospitals and telecommunications networks to food systems and local enterprises,” she said.
Beadle said the focus was now on scaling the most successful approaches developed through previous innovation programmes.
“Through the ZE-Gen Scale-up Fund, we are helping innovative companies move from pilot projects to larger-scale deployment, creating new opportunities for investment while delivering cleaner, more reliable and affordable energy where it is needed most,” she said.
In Nigeria, Farm Warehouse will combine solar power, refrigeration and digital marketplace services to provide cold storage for small-scale food vendors.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Kuma Mede, said reliable refrigeration should not be a luxury for small food businesses.
“Through this project, we are combining clean energy, efficient cold storage and affordable financing to help small-scale vendors preserve more of what they sell, grow their businesses and reduce their dependence on fossil-fuel generators,” Mede said.
KAMIM Technologies Founder and Managing Director, Adekoyejo Kuye, said its CoolCycle project would address infrastructure gaps that contribute to losses for farmers.
“With ZE-Gen support, we are bringing together reliable solar power, cold storage and freezing, ice and food-processing services, and digital tools that connect farmers, storage and buyers into one practical system,” Kuye said.
He said the model would help reduce food waste, preserve produce quality, improve prices and retain more value within farming communities.
In Kenya, Acele Africa will deploy locally designed and assembled modular battery systems for healthcare facilities, schools and small businesses, while SHIELD, a University of Oxford spin-out, will help hospitals transition from diesel generators to solar and battery systems through an innovative financing model.
In Uganda, Telford-based AceOn will deploy battery-first energy systems, including sodium-ion battery technology, for telecommunications infrastructure, healthcare facilities and humanitarian operations.
AceOn Group Co-Founder and CEO, Mark Thompson, said the project would demonstrate the application of British engineering and manufacturing in Africa’s growing clean energy market.
“Every unit we deploy in Africa pulls through British engineering, design and manufacturing,” Thompson said, describing the project as a partnership between the UK and Uganda.
Other projects include SLS Energy’s deployment of second-life electric vehicle batteries for telecom towers, healthcare facilities and businesses in Rwanda; Simusolar’s financed solar systems for rural businesses in Uganda and Tanzania; and Nanoé’s expansion of interconnected solar nano-grids for households and businesses in Madagascar.
In Mozambique, Gommyr will establish renewable-powered fishing hubs combining solar power, battery storage and cold-chain technologies to help fishing communities preserve catches, access higher-value markets and reduce post-harvest losses.
Vittoria Technology will pilot modular and repairable battery systems at operational mini-grids in Lesotho, seeking to reduce reliance on diesel backup generators while enabling local technicians to service and expand the systems.
The 10 projects are expected to demonstrate how renewable energy and energy-storage technologies can provide more reliable power while supporting local businesses, essential services and economic activity across weak-grid and off-grid communities.