GVEP International (Global Village Energy Partnership) will hold a series of workshops to mark the conclusion of its Developing Energy Enterprises Project (DEEP) on:

• 19 February 2013 at Nairobi Serena Hotel from 8am – 3pm.

• 22 February 2013 at the Kampala Protea Hotel from 8am – 3pm.

• 26 February 2013 at the Dar es Salaam Protea Oyster Bay Hotel from 8am – 3pm. 

Present at the one-day event will be key stakeholders from government, donor agencies, private and public sectors, NGOs and a sample of small-scale entrepreneurs who all made a success of this project. The workshop will also be an opportunity to learn more about GVEP’s current and future activities within the renewable energy sector in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. 

Spanning five years, DEEP has focused on supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the renewable energy sector, primarily in rural areas throughout East Africa – where access to modern energy is still a challenge. DEEP has been a Euro 4 million project jointly funded by the European Union (EU) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) under the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP-EU) Energy Facility. The project has helped deliver energy access to 4 million people in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda since it began operations in March 2008. 

DEEP has supported local East African entrepreneurs working in renewable energy technologies, including improved cookstoves, biomass briquettes – a cleaner alternative to charcoal – solar PV products, biogas and the value chains around these businesses. GVEP provided business and technology training and access to appropriate enterprise financing that have contributed to support the growth of over 900 enterprises and created approximately 3,000 jobs in the region. 

Though DEEP comes to an end, GVEP pursues its efforts to increase access to energy in the East African region by supporting the growth of local energy enterprises. In September 2012, we launched a new three-year programme called Capital Access for Renewable Energy Enterprises (CARE2), which will improve the capital access in the renewable energy markets of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. This US$7 million initiative is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Please find more information about our Developing Energy Enterprises Project. 

Download the DEEP booklet.