Grants for Women Entrepreneurs in Energy Sector

The WOCEWA Grants will fund Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) under the ECOWAS Programme on Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access (ECOW-GEN), with the objective of promoting gender-responsive investments and business development. The aim of the grant is to support Women led SMEs who need small grant funding for their businesses. Specifically, the grant will aim to subsidize the costs of borrowing from commercial/regional banks. ECOW-GEN has done this before through ECOW-GEN Facility’s components:

• ECOWAS Women’s Business Fund.
• Women’s Technical Exchange program.
• Women’s Economic Empowerment through Energy for Productive Uses.

However, this grant aims to reduce barriers and supporting more women into these sectors will:

• improve outcomes for women led business in energy sector.
• help SMEs be fair and more inclusive.
• address skills shortages in energy sector.
• boost women led business performance in energy sector.

Thus, the Grant will focus on contributing towards technology development and transfer; knowledge and skills acquisition; and establishment of sustainable energy businesses.

Funding Information

• The WOCEWA Grants will fund Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) of USD 40 000.

Eligible Activities

• Financial support of up to $40,000 will be allocated to the funded beneficiaries. Women entrepreneurs should be their activities in renewable energy and efficiency energy. These actions must fall within one or several of the following three categories:
  • Category A: Investment
    • This category covers the implementation, acquisition, purchase, and/or installation of new software, hardware, equipment, or other technologies, development of new technologies. Some examples include:
      • Contributions to the installation of renewable energy systems such as solar panels, wind turbines, invertors, storage systems, power and charging for EV or any other relevant equipment.
      • The implementation of energy optimization/management software on a production line.
      • Development of new technology in clean cooking by efficient cookstoves by biogas, briquettes, bioethanol.
  • Category B: Consultancy
    • This category covers advisory & consultancy services related to the promoting of renewable energy. Also, the identification and implementation of energy efficiency improvements, as well as energy audits.
      • Support SMEs led by women in the energy sector and define a detailed investment, a roadmap to improve their performance.
      • Carry out a technical consultation to identify areas of improvement in renewable energy, energy efficiency and technologies adapted to the market.
      • Carry out a technical consultation for gender integration in SMEs, private and public sector.
  • Category C: Skills & Training
    • This category covers access to training, courses, classes, and programs for education and upskilling of employees in gender and energy topics. Some specific examples include:
      • Training for employees on best practices, awareness, regulatory aspects, and behavioral change related to gender mainstreaming in the energy sector.
      • training in specialized areas ranging from business development to technology fabrication and/or application.
      • Training to help WSMEs in producing audit statements, developing cash flow forecasts, technical studies.

Geographical Focus

• The project must be implemented in at least one of of the ECOWAS Member States.

Eligibility Criteria

• The following entities will be eligible:
  • Women and Community-based groups and associations (including youth organizations);
  • Entrepreneurs/private sector
  • Social enterprises
  • Small and Medium Enterprises
  • Start-ups
• A Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is a category of micro, small and medium sized enterprises. It consists of enterprises that employ fewer than 250 persons and have either an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.
• The industrial end-user could be an SMEs or Large Company. It is important that the solution is applied in a real industrial environment. Test areas or simulated environment will not be considered as industrial applications.

For more information, visit ECREEE.