Digital Energy Challenge

Call for Projects - Partnership

Call for Projects - Partnership

Call for Projects - Partnership
Do you have a cutting-edge product or service that aims to increase energy access, accelerate the energy transition, or enhance the operational efficiency of a leading national energy provider in Africa ?
 
The 2025 Digital Energy Challenge Partnership is calling for technology providers to submit an innovative digital project for a partnership with leading Senegalese energy provider Senelec.
 
The winning project will receive funding and support for the implementation of the project as part of Senelec's rural electrification programme.
Discover the 2024 Bootcamp and the winning projects here.

Key dates

10th March 2025

Call for projects opens

1st April 2025

Information webinar

Register for the Partnership webinar in French at 4:00pm CET
 

16th May 2025 - 23h59 CET

Deadline for submission of applications

Autumn 2025

Notification of award winners and bootcamp

Themes

Senelec, Senegal's main energy supplier, has considerably increased its capacity over the last ten years, with renewable energies now accounting for 29% of its energy mix. The company's efforts to improve the accessibility and resilience of the network have resulted in a significant increase in the customer base, which reached 2.19 million in 2022.
As part of the optimisation and digitalisation of its processes, Senelec is looking for innovative solutions to improve demand management, customer mapping, optimisation of network works and connections and project monitoring
The theme of the Partnership Challenge is Identification and real-time census of connections.
Candidates are invited to propose solutions tailored to the following needs (in six modules), while leaving room for manoeuvre in the methodological approaches and technologies used:
  • Energy demand assessment (bottom-up approach) 
  • Customer geolocation and needs assessment
  • Work optimisation
  • Digital project monitoring
  • Customer connection monitoring
  • Interface with third-party applications
Candidates are free to propose a solution for each module, for a subset of modules or for all the needs identified.
For details of each module, see the Challenge rules in the Application Pack.

Who can apply?

The 2025 Digital Energy Challenge Partnership call for projects is open to innovative technology product/service providers who meet the following criteria:
  • Are a national or international registered company
  • Have less than 15 years existence and already developed an innovative solution to be tested with the Challenge
  • Count more than 5 employees
  • Generate an annual turnover of less than €50M
  • Are able to interact in French with the project stakeholder Senelec
The technology provider may be a spin-off or subsidiary of a larger corporation/group and is not required to have existing activities in Senegal.

Benefits for Challenge winners

For the 2025 edition, the winning project partnership will benefit from:
  • Financial support of up to €500K including: a grant to contribute to costs for equipment, software, products or services, training; technical assistance for project management support or strategic and technical expertise.
  • A joint bootcamp run by cross-sectorial experts, to support project implementation, provide sectorial insights, foster synergies between project winners and encourage best-practice sharing.
  • Widespread communication campaigns piloted by AFD during the selection phase, award ceremony, bootcamp and for a period of time after these events.

Project eligibility criteria

The project must have digital technology as a core element (telecom, computer or cloud-based technology); and be innovative either intrinsically or in relation to the local market/country.

How to apply?

Download the Partnership application pack (email address required)

Participate in the information webinar on 1st April 2025 here
Register for the Partnership webinar in French at 4:00pm CET
The webinar will be recorded.

Complete the application form and prepare the required documents

Submit your project by 16th May 2025 - 23:59 CET

Application Support

For more information: 

 

  • Consult the FAQ which will be updated regularly

     

  • Join the Challenge mailing list and ask any questions by contacting us

 

Download the Challenge brochure

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