Burundi - Solar Energy in Local Communities Project : Additional Financing

Overview & Synopsis

The development objective of the Solar Energy in Local Communities Project for Burundi is to expand access to energy and e-mobility services for households, enterprises, schools, and health centers in rural areas of Burundi. The additional financing is provided to scale up results, integrate electric mobility (e-mobility) into the operation in line with Global Environment Facility (GEF) requirements, and strengthen maintenance and institutional systems so that earlier investments deliver sustained benefits, while catalyzing private sector participation and climate co-benefits. Building on established implementation arrangements and the Solar Energy and Cooking Fund (Fonds Energies Solaires et Cuisson, FESEC), the Bank will work in three areas: first, sustain and protect public investments by maintaining the functionality of solar systems in schools and health centers through remote performance monitoring, standardized maintenance procedures, targeted out-of-warranty replacements, and continued operationalization of the National Maintenance Center; second, expand household access by scaling results-based financing for off-grid solar and clean and efficient cookstoves, prioritizing high-performing companies and women-led enterprises, supporting consumer financing through microfinance institutions and village savings and loan associations, and preparing upgraded financing instruments to help mature firms become investment ready; and third, introduce and test commercially viable e-mobility solutions through a dedicated FESEC window that supports solar-powered charging depots and private sector pilots for electric two- and three-wheelers and regional electric buses, alongside technical assistance to advance the national e-mobility and electronic waste strategies, develop standards, strengthen battery end-of-life management, and build capacity in public and private institutions. The project intends to consolidate and extend achieved results—such as completed electrification of all targeted health centers, ongoing solarization of schools, hundreds of thousands of people already gaining access to electricity and clean cooking, and enhanced local technical capacity—by adding tens of thousands of new household electricity and clean cooking connections, installing solar-powered charging depots with participation from women-led enterprises, mobilizing private co-financing, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy use and improved battery stewardship. It will also reinforce human capital and market development by upgrading the University of Burundi testing laboratory, supporting local manufacturers to reach international performance tiers for cookstoves, and launching a Clean Cooking Sector Working Group to coordinate policy and industry actions. Together, these activities are expected to improve service delivery and energy security, reduce transport and household energy costs, create jobs and green skills, strengthen resilience, and lay the groundwork for future private sector-led scale-up consistent with the Mission 300 initiative and national targets for universal access.