About This Fund
EDFI ElectriFI (Electrification Financing Initiative) is a specialist blended finance facility established to unlock, accelerate, and leverage private sector investment in affordable and reliable clean energy access across sub-Saharan Africa and other emerging markets. With a total facility size of approximately €253 million, ElectriFI is managed by EDFI Management Company, a subsidiary of the Association of European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI), under implementation mandate from FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. Launched in 2018, the facility is funded by the European Union, Power Africa, Sweden, and Italy, and operates with a higher risk tolerance than traditional investors to reach underserved markets and business models.
ElectriFI deploys equity, quasi-equity, senior debt, junior debt, and mezzanine financing in ticket sizes of €0.5 million to €10 million into clean energy companies operating across emerging markets. Target business models include solar home systems, minigrids, independent power producers, captive solar for commercial and industrial customers, hydropower, clean cooking solutions, e-mobility, and biomass energy applications. The facility employs first-loss capital and subordinated structures to de-risk co-investments and catalyse additional private sector participation, achieving a leverage ratio of approximately 4.2x on the catalytic capital deployed. Country-specific windows focus on Zambia, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Kenya, Burundi, Eswatini, Uganda, and Mozambique.
Since its inception, EDFI ElectriFI has deployed over €292 million in mandates across more than 70 projects in 37 countries, catalysing €414 million in total investment activity, with approximately 75% of the portfolio concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. The facility has documented multiple successful exits and serves as a model for blended finance in frontier energy markets, demonstrating that additionality and commercial viability can coexist through carefully structured risk-sharing mechanisms. ElectriFI is one of the most active development finance instruments for energy access in lower-income countries.