The CLASP-GEAPP Initiative, worth $6.1 million, aims to install 10,000 solar appliances and generate green jobs in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria

Posted on : Monday , 30th June 2025

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and the international NGO CLASP are launching a new $6.1 million project aimed at accelerating energy-driven growth in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. Through the expanded Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF), the initiative aims to enhance the access of low-income households and small businesses access to reasonably priced, revenue-generating appliances.

Up to 10,000 energy-efficient devices, such as water pumps, milling machines, and solar-powered freezers, will be delivered by the facility to rural and peri-urban areas across the three nations. According to a CLASP statement, the intervention aims to boost agricultural output, stimulate small company growth, and generate over 3,000 green jobs.

The second phase of PUFF will offer local manufacturers, distributors, and service providers targeted support through a combination of grants, subsidies, and technical assistance, building on a successful two-year pilot program that was carried out across six emerging markets between 2022 and 2024. More than 58,000 households benefited from the distribution of more than 16,000 appliances made possible by PUFF during its trial phase, with women accounting for over half of all purchases.

"Energy access is necessary for economic expansion. Along with generation and distribution, efficient appliances and equipment transform energy into opportunity and should be seen as critical infrastructure," according to Emmanuel Aziebor, Senior Director for Africa at CLASP. "PUFF's pilot showed that targeted help may provide tangible effects and life-changing outcomes."

Abibat Akinwale, a Nigerian shopkeeper who bought a solar-powered refrigerator through the program, is one of its noteworthy success stories. "In the past, we relied on ice blocks, which frequently melted and resulted in losses. Sales have increased and I can now consistently serve cold beverages thanks to the solar fridge," she said.

The updated PUFF 2.0 model will promote women and young entrepreneurs by customising financing solutions and emphasising gender equity and youth empowerment. According to Makena Ireri, Managing Director for Productive Use of Energy at GEAPP, the overall goal is to transform access to electricity into actual economic value, a gap that many prior electrification programs have been unable to close.

Prosperity isn't secured by electrification alone. "PUFF 2.0 guarantees that energy is converted into agricultural progress, job creation, and productivity," Ireri claimed.

Additionally, the project is in line with Mission 300, a worldwide program spearheaded by the African Development Bank, World Bank, GEAPP, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) that seeks to provide secure electricity to 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.

Even with electrical advancements, many African communities still face significant obstacles due to the cost of energy-efficient appliances. PUFF 2.0 aims to close this gap by utilising sustainable energy technology to help release unrealised economic potential.