June 28, 2021
As COVID-19 continues to affect the world, New Energy Nexus, Uganda, is working hard to respond to the damaging economic consequences of the pandemic. Thanks to support from the Signify Foundation, New Energy Nexus Uganda has been strengthening its clean energy uptake initiative by supporting new and existing cohorts of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) with business assistance and robust marketing outreach targeted to meet rural energy demand with clean energy solutions.
The ENVenture program, under the Ugandan chapter of New Energy Nexus, was created to help provide clean energy access for all with technologies like improved cookstoves and solar. The program incubates and accelerates clean energy businesses through financing and capacity building for CBOs who; maintain intimate grassroots relationships with their communities, understand the energy gaps, and distribute essential clean energy technologies. Since 2014, 123 CBOs have become part of the program, reaching almost 100,000 people with these products.
For New Energy Nexus Uganda, the pandemic resulted in business closure and limited sales activities between April and June, which severely impacted the financial resilience and growth opportunities for the CBOs we work with. With the Signify Foundation Support we provided technical assistance to empower CBOs to revamp their clean energy businesses, enabling them to provide products at favorable terms for rural customers whose incomes reduced during the 2020 lockdown in Uganda.
