Deadline: November 20, 2022
Siemens Stiftung on behalf of the Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) consortium is calling Small and Medium-sized Enterprises with a focus on sustainable energy solutions from Ghana, Malawi, Morocco and South Africa to apply for its first SESA Call for Entrepreneurs.
Reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy access has been a challenge for rural communities in Africa. SESA, a European Commission-funded project, aims to test, validate and later replicate innovative solutions as well as business models to accelerate the green transition across the African continent. It was launched in October 2021 with a duration of 48 months and is operational in nine African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania.
Programme Description
SESA aims to test, validate and later replicate scalable energy solutions in multiple locations supported by solid business models and partnerships between African and European stakeholders. SESA focuses on innovation within the three areas of energy access, productive use and circular economy.
The uptake of new solutions and business models requires close cooperation between innovative entrepreneurs, local enterprises, industry, city administrations and research and academic institutions. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises can play a key role in this process through the provision of their innovative products or services and by having a positive social as well as environmental impact on their communities.
With the acceptance that energy access and productive use are strongly correlated with economic development, this first SESA Call for Entrepreneurs focuses primarily on Productive Use of Energy (PUE) solutions in Ghana, Malawi, Morocco and South Africa.
Benefits
- Each selected enterprise will receive funding from €50,000 up to €70,000 Euro over a period of 18 months.
- They will also become a member of the SESA Incubator Programme run by the project partner Smart Innovation Norway. SESA consortium partners will evaluate the specific needs of your business and develop an individualised strategy to support you in one of our main topics: business development, organisational development, financial transparency, marketing, sales, and fundraising.
- Each funded company will have a dedicated mentor (local or international, as per the need) who shall provide regular support.
Eligibility
- Your enterprise must be registered and operationally active in Ghana, Malawi, Morocco or South Africa;
- Your enterprise must have officially been in operation for at least two years;
- Your enterprise must have generated revenues and provide financial statements for the last two years (if 2021 is not available yet, please provide financial statements for 2019 and 2020);
- Your enterprise must contribute to at least two of the SESA Key Performance Indicators (see the application form for further detail);
- There are no pending litigations against your enterprise or members of its management team;
- Your application should meet the thematic focus of your country’s challenge.
Application
Applications must include all mandatory documents and must be submitted electronically via email to [email protected] before the deadline of November 20, 2022.
List of mandatory documents:
- Application Form
- Certificate of incorporation/association and registration certificate
- Financial statements for the last two years (if financial statements for 2021 are not available yet, provide financial statements for 2020 and 2019)
- If you operate as a non-profit, hybrid organization (both non-profit and for-profit entities) or are governed by a charity/ NGO, they kindly request you to also submit: List of trustees and board members, Governance structure and if applicable, confirmation of tax-exempt status.
For more information, visit SESA Call for Entrepreneurs.