August 8, 2023

USAID Commits $400,000 to Scale Biogas Innovations in Zimbabwe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2023

The Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) Southern and Central Africa Hub is proud to announce the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded launch of the WE4F Zimbabwe Biogas call for innovations. 

The $400,000 program will support selected Zimbabwean biogas innovators, helping increase their capacity and productivity. Scaling these selected small and medium-sized enterprises will improve farmers’ access to climate-resilient technology that can increase food production. WE4F will provide the biogas innovators with grants, technical assistance, and help to facilitate the activity.    

For most Zimbabwean people, firewood remains the primary source of energy, resulting in the country having the highest deforestation rates in Southern Africa. Biogas innovations present an alternative to traditional energy like firewood and a path forward for increasing food production. The slurry sourced from biogas digesters – a gas-sealed tank designed to break down waste to create biogas – provides farmers with an organic and easily accessible fertilizer source.      

The Zimbabwe Biogas Call for Innovations awards range from US$10,000 to $30,000. The awarded innovators are expected to match the funding amount in cash or in-kind contributions. The period of performance for individual awards is up to 1.5 years, however the actual period of performance for each award will be determined at the time of award.

Applications for this call will be accepted on a rolling basis. All information including eligibility criteria and application guidelines is available at: we4f.org/apply-zw     

WE4F is a joint $88 million international initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Southern and Central Africa Regional Innovation Hub (S/C Africa RIH) is operated by three leading international organizations (a consortium of Tetra Tech, Open Capital Advisors, and International Water Management Institute (IWMI).