Many of the sector’s leading support organizations and advisors are working to address the real-time needs of businesses across the value chain to recover and thrive post-crisis. We are currently collaborating to provide technical support to companies so that they may better navigate these times. To date, 26 different technical assistance providers have made new resources available to support companies. There is however still a significant demand for organizational support in responding to the expressed needs of more than 300 companies interested in some form of technical assistance. 

‍Technical assistance can include:

• Liquidity planning
  
• Business operations continuity
• Investor relations support
• Legal support for capital raising and loan restructuring/rescheduling
• Credit risk management
• Business modeling
• Supply chain management
• Marketing
• Communications
• Human resources
  

Below is a list of currently available technical assistance providers, noting that many more will be available in the coming weeks:

• GET.invest offers support to address acute and critical finance-related problems for energy companies via a dedicated Covid-19 window in its Finance Catalyst facility. A team of experienced advisors is on stand-by to assist companies with reviewing strategy including business continuity, business and financial (re)structuring as well as financial modelling, introductions to funds, and transaction advisory. The support is accessible to new applicants on a fast track with applications being reviewed and support to start within a maximum of one week. The Covid-19 window operates in parallel to the regular, long-term support through the GET.invest Finance Catalyst that remains available for bringing clean energy businesses and investment opportunities to fruition.
• PFAN has a special COVID-19 application window open for Virtual Clinics, focusing on business continuity, fundraising support, and negotiations around existing obligations. This is in addition to its regular application window, both of which are available to growing clean energy firms that are seeking investment and financial advisory
• The Clean Cooking Alliance can provide Technical Assistance to companies operating in the clean cooking sector
• The US Trade and Development Authority (USTDA) can provide grant capital and TA for infrastructure development. Criteria and applications can be found here.
• Power Africa has multiple programs that are supporting energy access companies during the crisis: 
• The Southern African Energy Program is providing a broad range of technical assistance to companies including sales strategy training, supply chain support, geospatial assistance, financial modeling and structuring, and policy/regulatory support, this also includes an active RBF grant program in Malawi supporting selected companies.
• Power Africa’s Off-grid Project does not accept applications for TA, but their in-country, regional, cross-cutting and third party advisors do support companies with capital raising, legal TA, CEO coaching for equity raising, and temporary CFO secondment, treasury management and liquidity support. They also manage a grant facility with funding windows of up to $500,000 per award. See what’s currently available here, or contact Gordon Shaw for details.
• SNV provides grants and TA opportunities for decentralized renewable energy companies, e.g. through BRILHO (DFID), KOSAP (WB), IAP (Sweden), DFCD (Netherlands) and EnDev (multiple donors).
• African Management Institute (AMI) is an educational organization focused on increasing the skills and opportunities of African managers. They have a number of educational and career development resources available for entrepreneurs and their managerial teams during the crisis:
• Business Survival Bootcamp: Focused on rapid financial planning, cost management and strategies for adapting your business and products, practical action for entrepreneurs to ensure their businesses survival. Available for single registrants in English and French.
• Survive to Thrive: fully virtual programme designed to help African businesses navigate the unexpected challenges brought about by Coronavirus (COVID-19). Available in English, French coming soon. Contact Naomi Kirungu for more details, or directly fill in this application form.
• Empowering Managers: tailored  6-month virtual programme for managers in the off-grid energy space, with scholarships available from the UK Department for International Development. Available in English (beginning in July) or French (in September). Interested participants can contact Joan Kamau for anglophone programmes and Camille Linquier for francophone programmes.

PAYGo COVID Impact Monitor
GOGLA, IFC Lighting Global, and CGAP are starting a data collection initiative to help better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the PAYGo sector. The aim is to give companies regular, up-to-date insights on market trends and inform investors, donors, and sector support programs to develop effective and targeted recovery strategies.  

A trusted third party – MFR – will design the survey, collect data, and host the data on a public platform. We endeavor to make it as easy as possible to participate. We are asking companies to only report about 10 data points per month with a common and consistent reporting template and will provide a standardized data sharing agreement (bi-lateral with MFR). 

No third party (including GOGLA, IFC, and CGAP) will have access to company-level results.    Your participation is highly encouraged, and diversity is welcomed. To learn more about the initiative, click here or sign up for our August 20 webinar. If you are interested in participating, please complete this short application form.  The deadline to apply is August 28, 2020. We will contact you within two weeks afterwards with next steps.  


Companies should also check with their existing investors and grantors to see what technical support they can facilitate. Additional resources are being tracked by industry associations:

• GOGLA resource center
• ‍COVID response initiatives (compiled by GET.Invest and PFAN)
• AMDA Opportunities Database
• Global Distributors Collective Covid-19 Resources
• Lighting Global Covid-19 Resources

Across the industry, organizations are working with governments and national renewable energy associations to ensure that the off-grid sector is considered in policy responses to the pandemic. The industry has collectively called on governments in key markets to designate off-grid solar as an essential service ensuring that businesses can continue to provide services to customers under lockdown measures. To date, the governments of Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso have pushed these measures through. The sector continues to engage with governments to increase awareness of potential negative consequences of policy measures for the industry and customers.
‍
GOGLA has created a policy tracker to better monitor the progress of these requests and measures. Similarly the SEforAll and Lighting Global teams continue to communicate these urgencies to national governments and the World Bank is tracking the national policy measures that countries are implementing in support of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures include debt finance, employment support, reducing tax and business costs, and supporting the overall business climate. We continue to explore all avenues available to ensure that off-grid services continue to get to the places where energy is so desperately needed.

Consumer protection is now more important than ever. Low-income consumers are vulnerable to economic shocks and will likely be disproportionately affected in both health and finance by the Covid-19 pandemic. A product lock-out for a PAYGo consumer at this time would be a double blow – the loss of radio, TV or mobile phone to stay informed, or the loss of light whilst ill could be devastating. Companies should acknowledge these risks and adjust operations to protect consumers and build resilience – both in the short and long term.
‍
While the Covid-19 crisis has already hit PAYGo customers’ repayment rates, the impact is not yet severe. However, there is a serious risk that PAYGo customers may soon need to dedicate limited resources to more urgent expenses, and will struggle to keep making PAYGo payments without support. Self-reported data shows that household incomes are already falling and expenses are increasing in key PAYGo markets, and this is expected to accelerate if lockdown measures extend.
‍
Despite the considerable financial pressure they are under, PAYGo operators are already taking steps to make this crisis easier for customers. These actions include:

• Offering limited grace periods for reliable customers who are struggling to pay;
• Offering discounts or bonus energy days;
• Rescheduling payment plans to lower the payment amount and extend the term;
• Offering smaller/cheaper products to existing customers who can no longer afford larger products;
• Reducing the minimum payment amount;
• Reducing the amount payable to unlock the product for customers who have been disconnected;
• Imposing a moratorium on repossessions; and
• Buying back SHS that are not in use, or even swapping them for lanterns.

In an effort to further understand the impact on customers' lives, 60 Decibels –in collaboration with GOGLA, DOEN Foundation, CDC, and CGAP– are surveying consumer's experiences, to measure how they are adjusting to this crisis, and providing companies with actionable data that they can use to protect and support customers. Similarly, GOGLA has continued to provide consumer protection guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic based on the consumer protection code, while SEforALL and the Rockefeller Foundation are exploring approaches to meet expected consumer relief and pay-back support through existing RBF programs and potential demand side subsidy funding.