A new $6.1 million initiative led by international NGO CLASP and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is set to accelerate energy-driven economic empowerment across Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia. The programme aims to improve access to affordable, income-generating appliances for low-income households and small enterprises through the expanded Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF).
The facility will deliver up to 10,000 energy-efficient appliances — including solar-powered refrigerators, water pumps, and milling machines — to rural and peri-urban communities in the three countries. The intervention is designed to catalyse small business growth, support agricultural productivity, and create over 3,000 green jobs, according to a statement from CLASP.
Building on a successful two-year pilot conducted between 2022 and 2024 across six emerging markets, the second phase of PUFF will provide targeted support to local manufacturers, distributors, and service providers through a blend of grants, subsidies, and technical assistance. During its pilot phase, PUFF enabled the distribution of over 16,000 appliances, benefiting more than 58,000 households — with nearly 50% of purchases made by women.
“Access to energy is foundational for economic growth. Efficient appliances and equipment turn energy into opportunity and should be considered essential infrastructure alongside generation and distribution,” said Emmanuel Aziebor, Senior Director for Africa at CLASP. “PUFF’s pilot proved that targeted support can deliver material impact and transformative results.”
Among the programme’s notable success stories is Abibat Akinwale, a shopkeeper from Nigeria who purchased a solar-powered refrigerator through the scheme. “We used to depend on ice blocks, which often melted and caused losses. With the solar fridge, sales have surged, and I can now reliably offer cold drinks,” she shared.
The upgraded PUFF 2.0 model will place greater emphasis on gender equity and youth empowerment, tailoring financing models to support women and young entrepreneurs. The broader goal is to turn electricity access into real economic value — a gap that many previous electrification projects have failed to bridge, according to Makena Ireri, Managing Director for Productive Use of Energy at GEAPP.
“Electrification alone doesn’t guarantee prosperity. PUFF 2.0 ensures energy translates into productivity, job creation, and agricultural advancement,” Ireri said.
The initiative also aligns with Mission 300 — a global effort co-led by the World Bank, African Development Bank, GEAPP, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) — which aims to connect 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa to reliable electricity by 2030.
Despite gains in electrification, affordability of energy-productive appliances remains a critical barrier in many African communities. PUFF 2.0 seeks to bridge this gap, helping to unlock untapped economic potential through clean energy technologies.
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