PURE Demonstrators

In Kenya and Uganda, small businesses, farmer groups, and women-led cooperatives have gained access to something that changes how they work: reliable, clean energy.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, many farms and small businesses still run on costly diesel or unreliable power. Without the right equipment, production is inefficient and costly. As a result, produce spoils, income stays low, and growth stalls before it starts. Closing this gap means giving people access to the equipment that turns power into opportunity, productivity, and income.

The Productive Uses of Renewable Energy (PURE) Demonstrators provide grants, equipment, and hands-on support. This helps businesses adopt solar-powered technology in place of costly diesel or unreliable power. These include water pumps, irrigation systems, cooling units, and mills. Every technology is independently tested by VeraSol, a quality assurance programme for solar and off-grid appliances, before it reaches the people using it. The programme also provides flexible payment plans, allowing farmers and business owners to pay over time as their income allows, rather than all at once.

Since 2025, this has meant real change on the ground. Young mushroom farmers are no longer losing their harvest to spoilage. Women’s groups are growing crops again after years of drought. Dairy cooperatives are keeping milk fresh long enough to reach better markets. Across 12 demonstrator projects in two countries, small businesses are showing what’s possible when the right equipment is put into the hands of people who can put clean energy to work.