← BackJuly 13, 2026

Ascent PPF: $25M World Bank Facility Opens for East African Clean Energy Projects

A $25 million financing facility — the Ascent Project Preparation Facility (PPF) — has opened applications for clean cooking and energy access companies across 16 East and Southern African countries. The facility is funded by the World Bank and Comesa, and managed by London-based Cygnum Capital. Uganda is among the 16 eligible countries.

Who Can Apply

Eligible countries: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, DRC, Burundi, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan, and Zambia. Applicants must be registered in one of these countries, have operated for at least three years, and have a minimum annual revenue of $250,000 (solar home systems) or $150,000 (clean cooking, minigrids, productive use energy).

The facility offers milestone-based grants of $50,000–$200,000 for project preparation and business development — the stage that is most underfunded in East Africa's clean energy sector.

Why It Matters for Carbon Developers

Uganda's cookstove and clean energy project pipeline is one of the most active in East Africa. UpEnergy — Uganda-based — recently secured a 3.8 million tCO2e Article 6 LoA from Nigeria, demonstrating the regional ambition of Uganda's developer community. Domestic projects like the Bwindi gorilla habitat conservation corridor and Albertine Rift wetland restoration are at earlier stages of carbon market integration, where exactly the kind of project preparation support the Ascent PPF offers would accelerate timelines.

For Ugandan developers, the Ascent PPF represents a rare combination: non-dilutive grant capital, a World Bank stamp, and a wide eligible geography that allows Uganda-based firms to develop projects across the region under a single facility.

Timeline

Applications opened July 2026. First submission window closes August 31, 2026.

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