Ashden: The Ashden Awards

Ashden: The Ashden Awards

The Ashden Awards provide pioneering low carbon organisations in the UK and abroad with the funding, publicity and networks they need to lower emissions at scale. In 2021, Ashden provided nine of these awards.

This year, Ashden’s Award for Energy Access Innovation went to New Energy Nexus Uganda. In Uganda, only 19% of people have access to electricity and less than 2% have access to modern cooking facilities. As part of their Awards Programme, Ashden’s funding has helped New Energy Nexus connect people in rural Uganda with clean energy products.

New Energy Nexus provides business training, mentoring and credit to help community-based organisations buy clean energy products such as solar lanterns, briquettes, water filters and cookstoves. Organisations then sell these at affordable prices to local people – building their own successful business models while reaching those in the ‘last mile’.

The prize money provided by Ashden to New Energy Nexus will help the organisation coach and train local entrepreneurs launching these sustainable clean energy enterprises.

To date, New Energy Nexus has incubated 123 small enterprises across Uganda, with supported organisations selling more than 15,000 clean energy products, benefitting 100,000 people and creating 650 jobs.

Ashden’s funding and support helps organisations like New Energy Nexus accelerate their progress and scale operations for the benefit of local communities as well as the planet.