Promotion of Investment, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Market players and enablers, in renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) in the SADC Region, face numerous constraints, chief among them being limited capacities to identify, develop, and implement innovative renewable energy projects.

SACREEE activities in this area include the following

• Development of a database of priority RE&EE priority investment projects presenting relevant project data.
• Providing support to project developers in business plan development, investment pitch, growth strategy, etc. to enhance the possibility of projects reaching financial closures.
• Organizing investment and business forums (e.g. trade fair) and business-to-business forum to promote trade and investment opportunities in RE&EE in association with Association of SADC Chambers of Commerce. At such forums, the project pipelines will be presented to interested financiers and investors in order to promote interaction between project developers and financiers.
• Such forums will also be organized with a special focus on rural sustainable energy opportunities in collaboration with local businesses (e.g. mini-grids, stand-alone systems, hybrids, efficient cooking
• Analysing trends in investments in RE & EE in the region and produce a regular report.
• Analysing lessons from RE&EE projects in different countries and disseminate through SADC (possibly on cooperation with Energy and Environment Partnership Trust Fund (EEP Africa), development banks, Global Environment Facility (GEF), etc.)
• Initiating a regional Cleantech accelerator program for SMEs of SADC countries.

In particular, the region lacks conditions and infrastructure to support clean technology innovations by SMEs. There are very few platforms to identify innovators, develop their ideas and provide them with skills and knowledge and ultimately link them to financing so that new technologies could be developed, scaled, and become mainstream.  Therefore SACREEE launched a specific SADC Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship Support Facility