German impact crowdinvesting platform bettervest and CEI Africa, a foundation funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW, have signed a Framework Agreement to expand their collaboration on improving energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa. bettervest is the first German crowdlending platform to receive CEI Africa funding, underlining its role in mobilizing private capital for clean energy projects in emerging markets.
Through the agreement, CEI Africa will provide up to EUR 1.5 million over two years to co-finance companies in the energy access sector, investing alongside bettervest’s crowd investors in pari passu loans. This initiative aims to de-risk investments, attract private capital, and catalyse at least EUR 3 million into Africa’s off-grid energy sector, focusing on high-impact clean energy projects for underserved communities.
The first supported project is Ariya Finergy Limited, a Kenyan company delivering commercial solar and battery storage systems to SMEs in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. CEI Africa has committed €500,000 as part of a EUR 3.3 million loan package with bettervest. Ariya plans to deploy around 4.75 MWp of solar capacity and 2 MWh of battery storage, generating over 6,000 MWh of renewable electricity annually and cutting around 3,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.
In addition to environmental benefits, Ariya’s model fosters economic development by creating over 150 local jobs. The company has earned multiple industry awards, including “Best Solar Off-grid Project of the Year (Gold)” and “Solar Company of the Year: EPC for Advanced Energy Storage Solutions” at the 2024 Solar Quarter Africa Awards.
The Framework Agreement marks a significant step in the CEI Africa–bettervest partnership, following a Technical Assistance Agreement in March 2025. By blending public capital with bettervest’s crowdinvesting network, the collaboration aims to open new financing channels for impactful energy projects in Africa. More funding rounds and project announcements are expected in the near future.
