Call for Proposals now open: ASCENT PPF Private Sector Support Window
Are you a distributed renewable energy (DRE) or clean cooking company working to close your next financing round? The ASCENT Project Preparation Facility (PPF), a USD 25M facility funded by the World Bank Group and implemented by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat, with #cygnumcapital as the PPF Manager, has opened its first Call for Proposals for private companies.
What’s on offer:
On-demand technical assistance delivered through a prequalified Roster of Experts to address company-specific investment readiness needs, including but not limited to feasibility studies, financial modelling, transaction advisory, ESG and carbon finance.
Milestone-based grants of USD 50,000 – 200,000 for project preparation and business development. Grant funding will be considered only where the required expertise is not available through the PPF Roster of Experts.
Who should apply:
Private DRE and clean cooking companies registered in one of the 16 eligible ASCENT countries: Burundi, Comoros, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
3+ years in operation with paying customers and a minimum
annual revenue of at least USD 250,000 for SHS and USD 150,000 for Minigrid, Clean Cooking and Productive Use Energy (PUE)
Actively engaged with investors or lenders on a concrete financing transaction
Able to demonstrate 20% co-financing
Applications open 13th July 2026. First submission cycle closed on 31st August 2026. Applications received after this date will be considered in subsequent submission cycles.
Apply via the application portal: https://lnkd.in/dXEB3GgG
Full application guidelines highlighting eligibility requirement, available support, evaluation criteria and indicative review timeline is available on the ASCENT PPF website below.
Learn more: www.ascent-ppf.cygnumcapital.com.
Applications must be submitted in English through the portal, with one application per company.
For questions reach out to us at ascentppf@cygnumcapital.com
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