CLASP and GEAPP Expand Access to Affordable, Energy-efficient Appliances in Africa

Cape Town, 18 June, 2025 – At the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, CLASP and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) announced a substantial expansion of the Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF). This $6.1 million USD funding boost will help accelerate the uptake of clean, energy-efficient appliances that power small businesses, support farmers, and transform the lives of thousands of people across Africa.

Despite their potential to improve lives globally, efficient appliances are still out of reach for over 600 million people without access to electricity. High costs and limited financing make it difficult for business and households to afford them. PUFF helps bridge that gap.

The facility provides grants, subsidies, and technical assistance to suppliers and distributors to lower prices and reach more customers. This enables small businesses, entrepreneurs, and households to purchase energy-efficient technologies at favorable prices, allowing them to grow over time.

Building on success 

This extension builds on the success of the two-year pilot project that connected people with the useful appliances to earn a living. From 2022 to 2024, PUFF worked with 24 companies across six countries, helping to deploy nearly 16,000 appliances, and directly improve the lives of over 58,000 households. These appliances, such as solar-powered refrigerators, solar water pumps, and solar milling machines, had a direct, transformative impact on people’s livelihoods.

“Access to energy is foundational for economic growth. Efficient appliances and equipment, which are how people turn energy into opportunity, need to be considered essential energy infrastructure, alongside renewables. PUFF’s pilot phase proved that targeted support could unlock meaningful change. With effective financing, companies can reach more people with the right appliances, and they can change lives,” said Emmanuel Aziebor, Senior Director for Africa at CLASP.

What’s new in PUFF 2.0?  

CLASP and GEAPP are renewing their partnership focused on scaling appliances for agriculture and entrepreneurship in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. This new round aims to create over 3,000 green jobs through the sale and use of 10,000 appliances in four years, including established appliances like solar water pumps and refrigerators, and more specialized technologies such as coffee pulpers and honey extractors.

This expansion also deepens commitment to gender equity and youth inclusion. In the pilot, women made up nearly half of all appliance buyers, and households where women bought appliances saw a 94% increase in average income. PUFF 2.0 will have an even greater focus on equity by utilizing outreach and financing strategies that center women and young entrepreneurs.

“While electrification has expanded, many investments fail to turn access into economic opportunity, with limited job creation or enterprise growth. Through initiatives such as PUFF 2.0 collaboration with CLASP, we are addressing these shortfalls by ensuring that new energy connections drive productivity and power agriculture, energizing ambition in small and medium sized enterprises, and output in local manufacturing. Increased incomes from these activities spur economic growth and wellbeing in growing communities, creating jobs, and improving the quality of life,” said Makena Ireri, Managing Director for Productive Use of Energy at GEAPP.

CLASP’s Productive Use Financing Facility is supported by The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). Learn more about how it’s benefiting people and our planet.

• Appliance distribution companies who are interested in applying in this second round can get further information on the PUFF webpage and on the webinar on 8 July.
• For more information, please contact financing@clasp.ngo and follow us on LinkedIn for regular updates on how the facility is benefiting people and our planet.

About CLASP

CLASP is the leading global authority on efficient appliances’ role in fighting climate change and improving people’s lives. An international NGO with 25 years of expertise and offices on four continents, CLASP collaborates with policymakers, industry leaders, and other experts to create a more sustainable future for people and the planet.

About GEAPP

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is an alliance of philanthropy, governments in emerging and developed economies, and technology, policy, and financing partners. Their common mission is to enable LMICs’ shift to a clean energy, pro-growth model that accelerates universal energy access and inclusive economic growth, while supporting the global community to meet critical climate goals during the next decade. As an Alliance, they aim to reduce 4 gigatons of future carbon emissions, expand clean energy access to one billion people, and enable 150 million new jobs. With philanthropic partners, IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, GEAPP works to build the enabling environment, capacity, and market conditions for private sector solutions, catalyze new business models through innovation and entrepreneurship, deploy high-risk capital to encourage private sector solutions, and assist just transition solutions. For more information, please visit www.energyalliance.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media inquiries: Stella Madete, Africa Communications Manager, smadete@clasp.ngo