As part of the CE4PR, the Renewable Energy Fund for Resilience in Burkina Faso (FERR-BF) is an innovative financing project implemented in Burkina Faso, between 2019 and 2023, by United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), with the financial support of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Ministère de l’Environnement, du Climat et du Développement durable - MECDD).

By focusing on the construction of an ecosystem of private and public actors engaged in building a renewable energy market, the FERR-BF developed sustainable clean energy solutions and business models for the most vulnerable populations, deprived of electricity and to support capital mobilisation for such companies. Burkina Faso has an electrification rate of only 20%, even lower in rural areas.

The solutions deployed, like improved cooking stoves, solar water pumps for irrigation, solar refrigeration or productive use appliances powered by solar photovoltaic system, provide employment and economic opportunities for vulnerable populations, women, youth, displaced people, and smallholder farmers. These solutions are also a way to be more resilient in terms of food, in the face of climate change and in the face of the political risks which isolate part of the Burkinabe territory.

To build this ecosystem, using a Market Systems Development approach, the FERR-BF mobilised public actors and supported energy service companies (ESCOs), developers and distributors, incubators, microfinance institutions and other financial service providers, through technical assistance, grants and/or loans.