A major new initiative backed by The Rockefeller Foundation and the World Bank is accelerating the deployment of solar-powered agricultural technologies across six African countries, aiming to lift farm productivity, reduce losses, and expand clean energy access in rural areas.
Business Insider Africa The programme, part of a broader push under the Mission 300 initiative, is being implemented by Clasp, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit focused on energy efficiency and productive energy use.
It builds on a two-year pilot that supported 24 businesses across Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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The World Bank has approved $50 million to expand this solar agricultural effort, particularly in Nigeria and other participating countries. The funding will be used to scale up solar-powered equipment including cold storage facilities, refrigerators, irrigation pumps and grain mills all designed to help farmers maintain crop quality, access markets, and reduce post-harvest waste.
Agriculture remains a major employer in many African nations, yet inefficiencies such as inadequate storage and unreliable electricity continue to erode farm incomes and food supply chains. Solar solutions are increasingly seen as viable alternatives in rural regions where grid access is limited.
The programme operates under a financing window called the Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF). PUFF provides grants, subsidies and technical support to suppliers and distributors to make solar equipment more affordable and accessible in off-grid and underserved farming communities.
The Rockefeller Foundation has already committed approximately $12 million to the initiative, and officials suggest that additional contributions may follow as country-level implementation gains momentum.
Impact on Farmers and Food SecurityOne of the early success stories comes from SokoFresh, a Kenyan enterprise operating solar-powered cold rooms that help preserve produce for both local sale and export. Don’t Miss This: Gates Foundation and OpenAI Launch $50 Million Partnership to Boost AI-Driven Healthcare in Africa
These facilities can significantly reduce the roughly 40 % post-harvest losses experienced by farmers in sub-Saharan Africa due to lack of refrigeration, according to industry figures.
Expanded access to solar irrigation, processing and storage technologies is expected to improve incomes, strengthen food security, and create new economic opportunities in rural areas where energy access has historically lagged.
A Broader Energy AgendaThis agricultural solar push is part of a larger effort to expand electricity access across Africa. Mission 300 — a joint programme backed by the World Bank and the African Development Bank aims to bring reliable power to 300 million people by 2030, tackling one of the continent’s most significant development constraints.
The Rockefeller Foundation With sub-Saharan Africa still home to an estimated 600 million people without reliable electricity, solutions that integrate renewable energy and productive uses such as farming are gaining increasing policy and financial attention.
Image Credit: Business Insider Africa
Source : Business Insider Africa
