Rockefeller, World Bank fund solar projects across six African countries to boost agriculture.
The Rockefeller Foundation and the World Bank have backed non-profit organisations with tens of millions of dollars to improve agricultural productivity across Africa by deploying a range of solar-powered technologies.
The initiative will support the rollout of solar-powered cold storage facilities, refrigerators, water pumps and grain mills in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Implementation will be led by Clasp, a Washington, DC-based non-profit organisation focused on energy efficiency and clean energy access.
Speaking on January 15 during a visit to a solar-powered cold storage facility operated by SokoFresh in Nairobi, Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah said the programme has significant potential for expansion.
“There is always the ability to scale that up. There’ll be more resources country by country as well,” Shah said.
The funding is being deployed through the Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF), an initiative under Mission 300, a flagship programme supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Mission 300 aims to mobilise tens of billions of dollars to expand electricity access to 300 million people across Africa by 2030.
Agriculture remains the backbone of many African economies, employing more than half of the continent’s workforce. Yet farmers continue to face chronic challenges, including unreliable electricity, limited cold storage and inefficient processing systems, factors that contribute to post-harvest losses estimated at up to 30–40% for some crops.
By deploying solar-powered cold rooms and processing equipment, the World Bank-backed initiative targets one of the most persistent weaknesses in Africa’s food supply chain: energy access.
Solar solutions allow farmers to preserve produce, reduce spoilage and sell goods at better prices, even in off-grid or poorly electrified areas.
Source: Africabusinessinsider