World Bank Backs $50 Million Solar Farming Expansion to Boost Nigeria’s Agriculture
The World Bank has approved $50 million to scale solar-powered agricultural solutions in Nigeria and five other African nations, aiming to improve farm productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and expand clean energy access. The funding will support innovative technologies such as solar-powered cold rooms, refrigerators, water pumps, and grain mills, offering farmers modern tools to boost efficiency across rural and off-grid areas.
The initiative, supported by partners including the Rockefeller Foundation, will be implemented by Clasp, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit focused on clean energy and energy efficiency. Countries set to benefit include Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The program is designed to help farmers store and process produce more effectively, allowing them to reach higher-value markets and reduce food waste.
Development partners have expressed confidence in the programme’s potential to scale. The Rockefeller Foundation, which has already committed $12 million, indicated that additional resources may be deployed as the initiative expands. “We finance innovations and new projects that governments and organizations like the World Bank can then scale,” said Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, during a visit to a solar-powered cold storage facility in Nairobi.
The $50 million funding is channelled through the Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF), part of Mission 300—a World Bank and African Development Bank-backed initiative targeting electricity access for 300 million Africans by 2030. PUFF provides grants, subsidies, and technical support to suppliers of solar-powered equipment, helping them reach rural and off-grid communities typically excluded from conventional financing. A two-year pilot phase (2022–2024) already supported 24 businesses across six countries.
In Nigeria, where agriculture employs over a third of the workforce, the programme is expected to strengthen the agricultural value chain and improve farmers’ incomes. Solar-powered cold storage, like the facilities operated by SokoFresh, allows farmers to preserve produce longer, reduce losses, and access better markets. By expanding access to these technologies, the World Bank and its partners aim to enhance food security, boost rural incomes, and accelerate the continent’s transition to clean energy.
source: naiametrics