Unlocking investment: more African energy pioneers tap into advisory support
Four promising energy access companies in sub-Saharan Africa are capitalizing on investment readiness advisory from Energy 4 Impact delivered through the GET.invest Finance Readiness Support. Our tailored guidance will prepare Sun Plugged Energy (Zimbabwe), Electric City Energy, Farm Warehouse and Ventura Logistics (all Nigeria-based) to secure the capital needed to scale their vital solutions across more African communities.
Energy 4 Impact is among eight consultancies appointed by the European initiative GET.invest to equip locally-owned African clean energy businesses with the tools and expertise to overcome financing challenges. Such enterprises often face barriers due to their short operational runway, underdeveloped systems, and high capital demands. During the program's initial phase launched in 2021, Energy 4 Impact provided in-depth guidance on investment readiness to five energy start-ups, contributing to a subsequent total of over €1 million in financing achieved. In mid-2024, GET.invest expanded the service. Already working with cold storage provider Solakilimo and biogas distributor Lanforce Energy as part of this second phase, Energy 4 Impact is now extending its technical assistance to four more innovative enterprises.
Zimbabwe-based Sun Plugged Energy makes solar systems accessible to households and institutions through a lease-to-own model with flexible terms: 12 to 24 months with a 20% deposit and annual interest rates between 12–20%. By comparison, standard market options often demand much steeper upfront payments and shorter repayment terms. The company aims to triple its revenue and expand operations to Zambia and Malawi by 2026, offering reliable electricity for lighting, mobile phone charging, and other basic needs that enhance education, healthcare, and business outcomes.
"We are thrilled to partner with GET.invest and Energy 4 Impact to accelerate our fundraising efforts. Their expertise will be invaluable in helping us refine our investment strategy, strengthen our financial model, and connect with the right investors." — Fidelis Mashonga, Sun Plugged Energy, CEO
The three Nigerian companies are all tackling energy access in Africa’s largest economy, where nearly half of the 180 million population lacks reliable grid electricity. Many rely on costly and inefficient generators, creating major opportunities for clean energy companies to improve quality of life and drive socio-economic progress by making affordable and sustainable energy solutions more widely available.
A returning participant, Ventura Logistics develops solar mini-grid projects to power homes, local businesses and small industry, particularly in agro-processing. In the first phase, Energy 4 Impact helped Ventura raise €281,000 from FCMB Bank to commission three mini-grids in Mebiowa, Odege, and Amechi. After recently securing a new grant under Nigeria’s Electrification Project, backed by the World Bank, Energy 4 Impact has re-engaged with Ventura to prepare them to attract the further investment needed to complete these sites. Advisory will cover strategy, finance, operations, and credit risk—including sharpening sales tactics, refining financial models, improving internal processes, and preparing investor-ready materials.
Farm Warehouse provides post-harvest appliances to development projects, solar home distributors, and mini-grid operators, while offering appliance financing to small businesses and agro-processors. It plans to expand into market linkage services for agricultural producers, offering transport, storage, and produce aggregation services for driving sales to offtakers. Our support will help strengthen its investment strategy, target development projects promoting productive use, connect the company with consumer financiers and large-scale offtakers, and strengthen its business case for the bridge financing it needs to develop its produce aggregation model. Through our introduction, the company has already been selected as a preferred appliance supplier by Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency, which will help gear them up for an accelerated scaling trajectory.
Finally, Electric City develops end-to-end off-grid solutions using solar PV. Their data-driven energy management systems encompass custom site-specific design, energy audits, demand management, installation and after-sales support. The company is developing ten rural mini-grid sites focused on powering homes, community facilities, and SMEs engaged in productive activity.<
"Advisory from Energy 4 Impact will be instrumental in refining our investment strategy, optimizing our business and sales models, and enhancing our financial management structures to attract financing. The ensuing investment will help us scale our mini-grid deployments, empower small businesses and drive economic growth through productive use of energy." — Omobolaji Adesoji, Electric City, Business Development Manager
As each advisory gathers pace, Energy 4 Impact will connect the companies with potential investors, targeting between €75k and €1.5m in commercial funding. With strengthened financial foundations, these companies will be in a better position to deliver more life-changing energy solutions where they are needed most.
“Regardless of the promise of their innovations, for most early-stage energy start-ups, either side of their market launch is a particularly vulnerable period. That’s why we are so focused on helping these projects get investment ready, find the right funding to stay afloat and grow.” — Herbert Njiru Nyaga, Energy 4 Impact, Program Manager
About GET.invest Finance Readiness Support
The GET.invest Finance Readiness Support, a service of the European programme GET.invest, enables locally-owned and managed clean energy businesses to access finance. Launched in 2021, the service provides early-stage, micro, small and medium-sized energy companies in sub-Saharan Africa with hands-on, in-depth business development support and coaching along their finance access journey.
The service is implemented by eight leading advisory firms – Advance Consulting, Catalyst Energy Advisors, Energy 4 Impact, GFA Consulting Group & I&P Conseil, GreenMaxCapital Group, Inensus, Open Capital and Persistent – as part of GET.invest, a programme co-funded by the European Union, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Austria.