International nonprofit CLASP has selected 11 appliance companies to receive funding in support of job and income growth in sub-Saharan Africa. This support will be provided through the Productive Use Financing Facility (the Financing Facility), an initiative managed by CLASP and supported by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (the Energy Alliance).
The Financing Facility aims to accelerate the adoption of clean, energy-efficient appliances to power small businesses and support smallholder farmers, potentially transforming the lives of millions across Africa.
Baridi, Irri-hub, and Koolboks are three of the 11 impact-driven companies selected for the program whose work is already transforming the continent.
Solar appliances drive economic growth
For a smallholder farmer or business owner in sub-Saharan Africa, even a single appliance can go a long way. For example, a CLASP survey found that business owners in Uganda who purchased an off-grid refrigerator were able to increase their incomes twofold.
For women, an appliance can be a major driver of income. In the Finance Facility’s pilot program, households where women purchased an appliance saw incomes increase an average of 94%. From selling cold drinks using a refrigerator-freezer to growing high-value crops with a solar water pump, equitable access to reliable and affordable appliances can transform not only individual lives but entire communities. Solar-powered appliances can reduce the physical strain attached to traditional working conditions, expand business opportunities, improve nutrition, and create local jobs.
Three African appliance companies making an impact
For Facility grantees like Baridi, Irri-hub, and Koolboks, this kind of transformative impact is what drives their work.
Baridi supplies solar-powered chilling technologies to smallholder farmers in Kenya, ensuring that their hard-earned produce remains fresh and market-ready.
Koolboks designs and distributes affordable solar-powered refrigerator-freezers, ensuring access for small businesses and farmers across the region. By providing reliable cold storage, Koolboks helps entrepreneurs expand product offerings and reduce the economic risks tied to spoilage.
Irri-hub is a provider of affordable water management solutions, including solar water pumps, that help smallholder farmers increase yields, improve crop predictability, and expand production.
Solar water pumps offer an enormous amount of income and job growth potential. CLASP’s report “Leave No One Behind: Bridging the Energy Access Gap with Innovative Off-Grid Solar Solutions” found that 87% of farmers in Rwanda who obtained a solar water pump reported an increase in their monthly incomes, while 64% reported hiring more labourers and growing more crops.
Enduring partnerships are the key to transforming lives and livelihoods
Both Baridi and Koolboks have longstanding partnerships with CLASP. Baridi was a finalist in the 2022 Global LEAP Awards Off-Grid Cold Chain Challenge, while Koolboks received funding from the first round of the Financing Facility.
This round of the Financing Facility is Irri-hub’s first partnership with CLASP.
“From long and enduring partnerships to new collaborations, these kinds of local, on-the-ground partnerships are key to helping transform the sector, bringing life-changing appliances to the millions who need them. CLASP remains committed to strengthening these relationships and investing in partners who are creating green jobs and equitable opportunities across Africa.” – CLASP
About the Productive Use Financing Facility
The Financing Facility is an innovative program that provides grants, subsidies, and technical assistance to suppliers and distributors, helping to lower appliance prices and expand customer bases. The Facility makes it easier for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and households to buy energy-efficient technologies, such as solar water pumps, mills, and refrigerators, at favourable prices.
This program is supported by the Global Alliance for People and Planet.
