…Offers up to $1m funding for clean energy innovators

Nigeria’s leading off-grid energy access investor, All On, has launched the 2026 Off-Grid Energy Challenge, a nationwide initiative aimed at supporting Nigerian clean energy companies developing innovative solutions to expand electricity access in underserved communities.

Applications for the competition opened on July 2 and will close on July 31, with successful applicants eligible for between $200,000 and $1 million in blended financing, alongside technical assistance and investment-readiness support.

According to the organisation, the challenge targets entrepreneurs developing scalable and commercially viable solutions in renewable energy, productive use technologies, energy efficiency, cold chain systems and other off-grid energy applications capable of improving livelihoods and stimulating economic growth.

Since its inception in 2018, the programme has committed $3.6 million to 36 Nigerian-owned companies, supporting projects that have provided clean energy access to more than 150,000 people.

The 2026 edition places emphasis on projects that promote the productive use of energy by supporting agriculture processing, cold storage, healthcare and small businesses, while also encouraging innovations in mini-grids, solar home systems and interventions that improve outcomes for women and young people.

Speaking at the launch, Innovation Hub Manager at All On, Sele Inegbedion, said the initiative was designed to identify and nurture homegrown solutions to Nigeria’s energy access challenges.

“The Off-Grid Energy Challenge exists because we believe the solutions to Nigeria’s energy problems already live within Nigeria, in the minds and hands of our entrepreneurs. Our role is to find them, back them, and walk with them as they grow. This year, we are doing that with more capital and more conviction than ever before. If you are building something that brings light and economic opportunity to communities that have been left behind, we want to hear from you,” Inegbedion said.
Chief Executive Officer of All On, Caroline Eboumbou, said the initiative reflects the organisation’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurs driving Nigeria’s off-grid energy transition.

“Nigeria’s off-grid energy sector has proven, year after year, that the right kind of support that is patient, flexible, and rooted in deep market understanding, can produce transformational outcomes. The Off-Grid Energy Challenge is one of the most direct expressions of what All On stands for: putting serious capital behind entrepreneurs who are dedicated to solving one of our country’s most pressing challenges,” she said.

To qualify, applicants must be majority Nigerian-owned and managed for-profit companies registered and operating in Nigeria. Eligible proposals are expected to demonstrate innovation, commercial viability and a credible plan to expand energy access in unserved or underserved communities within a 12-to-18-month investment