Programme EVER

EVER : Making solar energy a driver of sustainable economic development in rural areas

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The EVER programme (Énergie VErte pour le développement Rural) focuses on rural socio-economic development via mini solar power plants in Africa. 

In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 600 million people still have no access to electricity. This is particularly true in rural areas, where two out of three people live without electricity. 
This energy deficit limits access to essential services (education, health and security) and hampers the development of rural economic activities by restricting the ability to produce, process, preserve, or store or sell goods.  

Approach

The EVER programme assumes that the viability and impact of access to energy depend on its ability to support income-generating activities. When energy is not integrated into local economic activities, its impact is limited, undermining its sustainability. ADA thus takes an integrated approach aimed at strengthening the ecosystem of actors involved in productive uses of solar energy in rural areas. The programme combines:

• Support for decentralised renewable energy suppliers  
• Support for rural entrepreneurs in adopting productive equipment 
• The mobilisation of financial service providers through a results-based financing (RBF) mechanism, which encourages microfinance institutions to fund these activities in remote areas. 

The programme is mainly aimed at green energy suppliers in rural areas, rural entrepreneurs and microfinance institutions in a bid to promote the development of productive uses of energy.

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Outlook

In the medium term, the EVER programme aims to expand its scope to new areas, to support a growing number of rural entrepreneurs and encourage the adoption of productive equipment, thus contributing sustainably to job creation and the development of basic services in rural areas.