KEY POINTS
- Solar-powered farm equipment expands across six African countries.
- World Bank commits $50 million to Nigerian rollout.
- Program links energy access with agricultural productivity.
The Rockefeller Foundation and the World Bank are expanding a programme to deploy solar-powered agricultural equipment across six African countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of a broader effort to link energy access with food production.
The initiative focuses on improving farm productivity by providing solar-powered cold rooms, refrigerators, water pumps, and grain mills to farmers operating in rural and off-grid communities. The programme is managed by CLASP, a Washington-based nonprofit that works on energy efficiency and appliance access. After completing a two-year pilot phase, the project is now moving into full-scale deployment.
The programme operates under the Productive Use Financing Facility, known as PUFF, which sits within Mission 300. Mission 300 is a joint effort supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank to bring electricity to 300 million people in Africa by 2030.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the widest electricity access gap globally. Nearly 600 million people in the region lack electricity, accounting for more than 80 percent of the world’s population without power, according to World Bank data.
Energy access and farm productivity
Mission 300 combines on-grid expansion, mini-grids, and off-grid solar systems to reach households and farmers beyond the reach of traditional electricity infrastructure. PUFF supports this effort by offering grants, subsidies, and technical assistance to equipment suppliers and distributors, reducing costs for rural users.
During the pilot phase between 2022 and 2024, PUFF supported 24 businesses operating across several countries. One of them was SokoFresh, a Nairobi-based company that operates solar-powered cold rooms used to store fresh produce for domestic markets and export.
Rajiv Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said the programme is designed to support innovations that governments and development partners can expand. He said funding is directed toward projects that demonstrate practical results and can be adopted at scale.
World Bank funding for Nigeria
The World Bank has committed $50 million to support the rollout of solar-powered agricultural equipment in Nigeria. The funding covers cold rooms, water pumps, and grain mills, with the Rockefeller Foundation expected to provide additional support.
Through PUFF, suppliers and distributors receive financial and technical backing to reach farmers in off-grid and underserved areas. The equipment enables irrigation, storage, and processing in regions where access to conventional electricity remains limited.
Expansion beyond the pilot phase
Following the pilot phase, PUFF is moving to full deployment across all six countries. The Rockefeller Foundation and the World Bank said they will track expansion to ensure solar-powered equipment reaches rural farmers and remains operational.
The programme forms part of a wider strategy to align energy access with agricultural development. By supporting solar-powered refrigeration, irrigation, and milling, the initiative aims to reduce post-harvest losses, improve food quality, and support both local consumption and export markets.
