Clean Captive Installations for Industrial Clients in Sub-Saharan Africa (CICSA) supports businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa to transition from expensive diesel and other fossil fuel-based captive power to clean, reliable on-site renewable energy solutions.

We connect companies, financiers, and governments to make clean captive energy the new normal for the African industry.

Clean Captive Installations for Industrial Clients in Sub-Saharan Africa (CICSA) supports businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa to transition from expensive diesel and other fossil fuel-based captive power to clean, reliable on-site renewable energy solutions.

We connect companies, financiers, and governments to make clean captive energy the new normal for the African industry.

The challenge

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, unreliable and costly electricity continues to limit industrial growth and competitiveness. While the region is home to rapidly expanding commercial and industrial sectors, many businesses still face frequent outages, ageing infrastructure, power shortages, and a heavy reliance on expensive diesel generation.

Nearly 730 million people worldwide lacked electricity in 2024 – with Sub-Saharan Africa representing almost 80% of the global electricity access gap¹. The need for scalable, sustainable energy has never been more urgent.

¹World Energy Outlook, IEA (2025)

The solution: Clean captive energy

Clean captive energy means generating your own power on-site – with renewable solutions such as solar PVs. This enables companies to generate electricity for their own operations, improving energy security while reducing operating costs and emissions.

Key benefits for businesses and the planet:

Reliable power

No more blackouts disrupting production.

Lower costs

Renewables are cheaper than diesel.

Cleaner operations

Lower emissions, better sustainability.

Energy security

Protect your business from fuel price volatility and import disruptions.

Job creation

Local employment in installation, operations, and maintenance.

How CICSA works

Our mission is to make clean captive energy the standard, not the exception, for Sub-Saharan African industries.
We work across three areas to achieve this:

Clean Captive Installation Accelerator

We provide technical assistance and grant funding to help businesses develop clean captive projects. We also demonstrate the commercial viability of these solutions for industrial and commercial users and enable innovative financing models to scale investment across the region.

Policy and capacity building

We support policy dialogue and regulatory engagement to create an environment where clean captive energy can thrive. We strengthen local capacity among public sector stakeholders and contribute to low-carbon industrial development pathways.

Knowledge hub

We promote awareness of clean captive opportunities and benefits. We also share lessons learned, best practices, and market insights to help others replicate and scale successful models.

Program overview

Lead by:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations’ leading global authority on the environment, driving transformational change on the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature, land and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste.  

Official Website

Implementing partner:

The Frankfurt School – UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance is a strategic cooperation between Frankfurt School and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since 2009. The aim of the Centre is to promote public and private sector investment in greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation in developing and emerging countries, as well as in industrialized countries. As a “think-and-do-tank”, the Centre combines research, teaching, training and consulting services.

Official Website

greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation in developing and emerging countries, as well as in industrialized countries. As a “think-and-do-tank”, the Centre combines research, teaching, training and consulting services.

Steering Committee

The CICSA Steering Committee provides strategic and political guidance. It brings together the donor (BMUKN), four partner countries* (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa), the African Energy Commission (AFREC), FS and UNEP.

The Committee meets at least once a year, operates on a consensus basis, and ensures that CICSA serves both national priorities and regional energy goals.

* Additional countries may be co-opted into the Steering Committee following the Phase II call for proposals.

Governance Structure

Supported by:

This project is supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Government of Germany. Within the Federal Government, the IKI is anchored in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). Selected individual projects are also the responsibility of the Federal Foreign Office (AA)