Grant funding available for SMMEs involved in renewable energy

1.1 The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) has a grant scheme called Enterprise Development for Jobs which makes grants available for the small and medium enterprises (SMME) involved in the renewable energy projects in developing countries. The grant scheme is untied, open for both Norwegian and international companies.
1.2 The grant scheme is neither a loan nor investment by NORAD, but rather a development funding for projects development and implementation. The main objective of the Enterprise Development for Jobs grant scheme is to assist the developing countries with job creation by stimulating the establishment of new business enterprises or expansion of existing ones.
1.3 Currently there is an opening for grant funding for South African small and medium enterprises in the renewable energy sector under the Enterprise Development for Jobs grant scheme.
1.4 In South Africa, NORAD has stated that grants will be available only to private sector firms, not state-led projects, because Norway does not provide state-to-state development assistance to the South African government due to the country’s designation as an upper middle-income country by the OECD.
1.5 Grant funding for access to energy projects is application-based and is demand driven, therefore companies will have to apply and compete for funding. NORAD is planning to announce calls for proposals in November / December 2023.
1.6 The calls for proposals will be made on NORAD’s grant digital portal found on its website: www.norad.no.
1.7 South African SMMEs interested in applying for the grant are requested to visit NORAD’s website for more information about the grant scheme as well as publication of the call for proposals.