World Bank Funds Green Farming Expansion in Six Countries

The World Bank has approved $50 million in financing to support the expansion of solar-powered agricultural solutions in Nigeria and five other African countries, aimed at boosting productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, and expanding access to clean energy.

The funding will support the deployment of solar-powered cold storage facilities, refrigeration units, water pumps, and grain mills across Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Implementation will be led by Clasp, a non-profit organisation focused on advancing energy efficiency and clean energy access in developing markets.

The initiative has attracted backing from development partners, including philanthropic institutions that have signalled readiness to scale funding as implementation progresses across participating countries.

The programme is being delivered through the Productive Use Financing Facility, operating under Mission 300—a joint initiative supported by multilateral development banks to expand electricity access to hundreds of millions of people across Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the global epicentre of energy poverty, with hundreds of millions of people lacking reliable electricity. This deficit continues to constrain agricultural productivity, rural incomes, and small business growth.

The financing model is designed to bridge affordability gaps by providing grants, subsidies, and technical support to suppliers of solar-powered equipment, enabling them to reach rural and off-grid communities typically excluded from conventional financing.

Following a successful pilot phase that supported multiple businesses across participating countries, the programme is now transitioning into full-scale deployment backed by new development finance and philanthropic capital.