SDC Funds CEI Africa Expansion

July 09, 2025

Key Figures & Findings: CEI Africa, a European-backed results-based finance platform for off-grid electrification, has received an additional $4.45 million from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to expand its Smart Outcomes Fund (SOF) a model that provides a mix of outcome-based grants and loans to energy companies, to help recipients meet measurable performance milestones. The fund targets the deployment of productive use of energy (PUE) technologies—such as solar irrigation, cold storage, and e-mobility—across underserved areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. The new funding builds on SDC’s previous $5.57 million commitment made in 2022.

Statistics & Insights: As of 2024, $2.1 million was awarded to 14 mini-grid developers across seven countries, supporting 4,300 productive-use systems and 105,000 end-users. A separate $2.4 million round in Kenya backed 11 firms, which are expected to deploy over 5,500 appliances, reaching 155,000 users.

Future Implications: If current trends continue, the Smart Outcomes Fund could see further calls for proposals by early 2026, reinforcing the viability of outcome-based finance in fragile markets. The model may also inform how future public-private capital is deployed to expand energy access across rural Africa.