CALL FOR APPLICATION 2025-2026

Application deadline: June 9, 2026


BIOMASS ENERGY AFRICA

(2025-2027)

Technical Assistance Facility for companies offering clean cooking solutions in Uganda


Implemented by Hystra

On behalf of The French Development Agency


BACKGROUND

During the Paris Clean Cooking Summit in May 2024, France pledged to invest €100 million by 2030 to promote a just and inclusive transition towards universal access to clean and efficient cooking solutions, and to reduce pressure on biomass and deforestation. The French Development Agency (AFD) seeks to play a catalytical role in achieving this ambition by launching a new initiative in East Africa, Biomass Energy Africa (BEA).

BEA is a Technical Assistance (TA) program aimed at supporting companies, donors and investors involved in the clean cooking sector. It currently operates in Uganda and Tanzania until end of Q3 2027. Specifically, the program aims to:

Offer tailored, on-the-ground TA to selected local companies to help them strengthen their business model, scale up and/or access financing – focus of this Call.

Help donors and investors invest in or include these companies in their programs.

Support governments and regulators (electricity, LPG) on their programs involving the private sector.

BEA is coordinated by Hystra, a strategy consulting firm specialized in inclusive business model innovation and energy access.

OBJECTIVES AND NATURE OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE BY BEA

The BEA program aims to identify and support a cohort of 5-8 companies commercializing clean cooking solutions in Uganda and Tanzania that have strong potential for commercial growth – provided they receive the right type of tailored, on-the-ground TA. This Call for Projects applies only to Uganda.

The objectives of the TA can be threefold:

Strengthening companies’ operations and level of execution to accelerate sustainability and growth: Supply chain management, financial management, digitalization, marketing, sales & distribution, credit management, organizational restructuring, etc.

Designing and piloting innovative value propositions or business models: Consumer intelligence, market research, business model innovation, economic modeling, rebranding or marketing materials redesign, pilot design, pilot management, etc.

Supporting fundraising efforts: Analytical accounting (e.g. unit economics, profitability centers,), business growth planning and presentation, etc.

Companies that actively incorporate gender into their strategic planning and internal operations will receive particular consideration.

TA projects will be co-designed with selected companies.

The nature and duration of TA projects will depend on companies and can range from a few weeks to more than a year. For example:

Short-term intervention (3 months), e.g., to analyze sales data, conduct market research, redefine customer segmentation and selection process (vetting criteria, operating procedures, sales agent and call center retraining).

Medium-term intervention (6-9 months): Auditing existing procedures in terms of inventory management, financial forecasting, distribution partnerships, etc. and putting in place new tools, procedures, training teams, hiring missing functions, etc.

Longer-term intervention (over a year, in tranches): Combination of multiple interventions, with pilot design and in-field management, coaching of leadership or mid-level executives, etc.

NB: the BEA program will support companies through the provision of TA and will not deliver grants or direct financial transfers to companies.

SELECTION PROCESS

Application window duration: September 29, 2025, to June 9, 2026

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis on a first-come, first-served basis, within the program’s capacity. We therefore reserve the right to close the application window early if the entire budget has been allocated.

If a project is selected, the subsequent phases, including project design, administrative and legal checks, and service provider selection, will take approximately 1.5 to 3 months, depending on the company’s readiness and the size of the project.

Once the organization has been selected, the BEA project and the organization will co-define the TA project to be implemented.

The TA project will be shaped by an in-depth assessment of the organization conducted by the BEA team, as well as a discussion with the organization.

Therefore, the implemented project may not fully match the technical support needs initially presented by the organization in its application.

The project selection will be finalized through the signature of a partnership agreement detailing the project, outlining the commitments and responsibilities of both parties.

The TA will be co-coordinated and implemented by Hystra and its implementing partner(s).

ELIGIBILITY

BEA will offer on-the-ground, personalized operational support to selected companies. The goal is to select companies with sufficient maturity that are facing a clear, strategic barrier to scale, and for whom this is the right time to address it.

The interested applicants must be clean cooking SMEs that can demonstrate the following:

Fully registered companies with valid legal documents: See list in Appendix 1 under ‘General Corporate Identification’.

Commercially operational for at least three years in Uganda or Tanzania, with minimum turnover of USD 50,000 in at least one rolling 12-month period in the past three years.

Commercializing (manufacturing, distributing, financing, etc.) clean cooking solutions, both fuels and/or stoves (Tier 3 and above). This includes e-cooking appliances, LPG kits, biogas systems, bio-ethanol stoves, briquettes, pellets, and improved biomass stoves.

Having reached or aiming for commercial sustainability: Non-market-based projects are not in scope for this TA opportunity.

Tackling a major technical, industrial, strategic, organizational, or commercial execution challenge that represents a critical barrier to the company's commercial growth and long-term sustainability with the proposed project. The TA opportunity must also be actively championed by the company’s leadership.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Selection will focus on projects that demonstrate a path to sustainable impact at scale that represents a strategic priority for the company’s leadership.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate and select companies (in order of importance):

Company scalability – 60%

Commercial track record and market position: sales history, competitiveness – 10%.

Relevance of assets and capabilities: Assets (e.g., brand, distribution channels or product portfolio, IT) and capacity for innovation, agility and ability to absorb TA – 30%.

Management quality: experience, capabilities of leadership team and quality of the gender approach within the company – 10%.

Financial health: transparent and stable financials, not necessarily profitable but viable with sufficient financial runway – 10%.

Relevance of requested TA – 40%

Clear description of problem to solve – 10%.

Strategic importance for company leadership: clear commitment in terms of time and resources – 10%.

Impact potential: (e.g., increased volumes, commercial viability, access to financing) and sustainability post-BEA – 10%.

Additionality of BEA: To what extent can’t this project be done without BEA support – 10%.

N.B., to support the evaluation process, applicants can provide supplementary documents (such as financial statements, proof of solvency, corporate profiles etc.) demonstrating company scalability and relevance of TA requested. These documents will in any case be required for the next round of the selection process, and their inclusion right away will be regarded favorably in the evaluation.

HOW TO APPLY

Companies who wish to benefit from TA from the BEA program may express their interest by filling in the foolowing form before June 9, 2026:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyC943wk2g9vFNvC9kU3TwDNFZb2yMPFglk6sFGBXeRQ5l8g/viewform?usp=header

Furthermore, additional legal documents will be requested in the process by the Hystra team if the project is pre-selected, in order to proceed with the TA.

Companies can also reach out directly to the Hystra team: Adrien Darodes (Project Lead,  [email protected]) and Chitraksh Sharma (Senior Consultant, [email protected]), to organize an online introductory call or for any request for clarification/questions.


Appendx 1: List of documents to be provided by applicants Selected for the next round

General Corporate Identification

Certificate of Incorporation (from Uganda Registration Services Bureau – URSB)

Memorandum and Articles of Association (or Company Constitution)

TIN Certificate (Tax Identification Number)

Business License (Trading License from the municipal council).

Governance and Ownership

List of Directors and Senior Management (including names, roles, and nationalities)

List of Shareholders / Beneficial Owners (with percentage of shares held)

Organisational chart

Copies of national IDs or passports of:

All individual shareholders and beneficial owners

All directors

Gender breakdown of management (e.g., % of women in senior roles, board seats)

Policies / strategy on gender equality, such as:

Recruitment and promotion targets for women

Equal pay and benefits policy

Mentorship or leadership programs for women

Anti-discrimination and inclusivity commitment.


Financial Documentation

Latest Audited Financial Statements (preferably last three fiscal years). If not available, Certified Management Accounts and/or Bank Statements for the last 3 years, including any subventions received during that period

Proof of source of funds injected into the company (e.g. bank transfer slips, capital injection records).

Business Activities and Project Description

Description of the company’s main activities

Description of past or ongoing TA or advisory programs (over the past three years).