ENVenture

Almost three-quarters of Ugandans lack access to electricity. Community-based organisations (CBOs) are all too aware of this problem; there are over 10,000 of them in Uganda trying to implement social work projects in their communities. Whilst they already have entrepreneurial capabilities, they typically have a strong aid mentality which is an unsustainable approach for clean energy product distribution.

ENVenture is an incubator that empowers rural CBOs to learn business skills to launch their own sustainable enterprises selling high-impact clean energy products. By leveraging existing community structures, ENVenture opens up distribution channels through innovative financing for locally run sustainable enterprises, which allows low-income consumers to access clean energy technologies such as solar products, non-electric water filters, improved biomass cookstoves and fuel briquettes.

TRANSFORM supported ENVenture to formalise its Uganda operations and to test the model with CBO partners. The project leveraged FCDO funding, Unilever’s consumer behaviour insights and lessons on distribution to support CBOs to become last mile distributors of goods such as solar products, improved cookstoves, briquettes and water filters. EY also assessed the model’s financial sustainability and advised on future strategies.