- The “Soleil-Nyakiriza” project is being started by the government of Burundi in response to the challenges associated with access to electricity in rural areas.
- Households are anticipated to receive better stoves for clean cooking as well as off-grid solar systems under this initiative.
The “Soleil-Nyakiriza” or Rural Community Solar Energy Project is being carried out in Burundi. The Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy, and Mines of Burundi has launched it. By 2030, it is intended to increase rural residents’ access to renewable energy. The African Development Bank (ADB) says the situation is especially concerning in this region of the country in East Africa where there is almost no energy access (2% in 2019). In addition to lessen deforestation, Soleil-Nyakiriza” also wants to provide access to healthy cooking options at that time.
The project intends to provide better stoves to 300,000 households and construct off-grid solar systems in 65,000 Burundian homes over the following four years. Private sector businesses that specialize in the creation and distribution of off-grid solar systems and enhanced cookstoves of “certified” quality will produce the products. These businesses will receive funding from a unique fund established as part of the “Soleil-Nyakiriza” project. The World Bank is funding this $17 million Solar Energy and Cooking Fund (FESEC).
The Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy, and Mines of Burundi has chosen Bamboo Capital Partners to the position of international administrator-manager of FESEC. The impact investment platform states that there are three funding opportunities for the fund. These include start-up grants for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to expand into the sectors the Fund is targeting, growth grants for established businesses able to distribute off-grid solar products as well as efficient and clean cooking products, and results-based financing (grants given to recipients based on sales and installations made, editor’s note).
The FESEC fund, which was established for a set period of time and will end on 1 March 2026, similarly attempts to encourage women’s entrepreneurship by allocating a portion of awards specifically for this reason.