ROGEAP – Entrepreneurship support scheme: A call for expressions of interest to shortlist entrepreneurs in the OGS and SMEs

The official launch of the ROGEAP took place in Praia on 12 and 13 October 2023, during the opening of the 2023 ECOWASn Forum on Sustainable Energy (ESEF).

The ‘ROGEAP’ aims to increase access to sustainable electricity services in the fifteen member countries of the Organisation for the Development of the Sahel (ECOWAS) and in Cameroon, Chad, Mauritania and the Central African Republic. The ‘ROGEAP’ seeks to: (i) build a regional market for off-grid solar (OGS) products, (ii) support actors across the value chain, and (iii) promote the management of environmental, social and gender risks for OGS products.

A Project Fund Manager (PFM) has been recruited to support theECOWAS in the implementation of Component 1 by providing technical assistance on the Entrepreneurship Support Facility (ESF) and the Financial Support Facility (FSF). The PFM will provide financial and entrepreneurial support, as well as support for the management of environmental, social, health and safety risks, to stand-alone solar energy enterprises in order to ensure access to target markets, as well as activities related to the development of a pipeline of projects eligible for the credit line.

A call for expressions of interest will be launched on 14 November 2023 via www.rogeappfm.org for the pilot countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania and Nigeria, with the aim of shortlisting OGS entrepreneurs and SMEs to support start-ups and early-stage businesses in launching and expanding their activities. The deadline for expressions of interest from the above countries is 28 November 2023.

Overall, support for solar energy companies in the start-up or post-launch phase amounts to $5 million in the form of matching grants for eligible countries[1].

This initial contact is the first step in the Project Fund Manager’s (PFM) activities. During the next online webinar, we will provide you with further details on the funds available, as well as on local contacts and the eligibility criteria for the various funds.

We would like to thank you in advance for sharing this information with your contacts and partners, and for your time; we would also ask you to stay in touch with us regarding future activities.

[1] Eligible countries: CTF (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone) and DGIS (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger)