MALI: a subsidy from the CEI for electrification via solar mini-grids

After the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a few weeks ago, it is Mali's turn to benefit from funding from the Foundation for Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion in Africa (CEI Africa). The Amsterdam, Netherlands-based institution announces plans to award a results-based grant (RBF) worth $1.8 million to electricity provider WeLight.

The funds will support its electrification activities in rural areas in Mali where WeLight has been present since 2021. According to CEI estimates, the grant will expand the five solar mini-grids currently operated by the company. At least nine new green mini-networks will be built, enough to enable the electrification of 35,000 people.

The five mini-networks installed in recent years have enabled 1,000 connections in Malian villages. The support from the CEI is “an important step, since it makes it possible to reach nine additional villages. Access to electricity for productive use is vital, because it allows socio-economic development in various areas for the community ,” explains Moez Zouaoui, the national coordinator of WeLight Mali.

However, “the award of the results-based grant is subject to the fulfillment of certain pre-conditions agreed between CEI Africa and WeLight, which include, among others, the execution of a grant agreement,” says the foundation launched by the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German development agency. Thus, the subsidy will be disbursed upon completion of the new electrical connections. Mali, which benefits from this funding, had an electricity access rate of 53% in 2021 according to the National Energy Directorate (DNE).