Sierra Leone is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in West Africa and among the world’s Least Developed Countries, with limited capacity to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Agriculture – Sierra Leone’s second largest economic sector after mining, contributing 59% to GDP – is facing long-term, high-risk exposure to climate change. As a result, there has been a sharp growth in investors’ use of environmental, social and governance approaches to integrate climate risks and opportunities into investment decisions.
PROSPER Salone
PROSPER Salone Climate window
Who can apply?
The Climate window targets impact investors, institutional investors, domestic investors and international corporations seeking to invest in Sierra Leone with the aim to support mitigation and adaptation actions that address climate change and respond to the challenges caused by environmental degradation.
To be eligible for a grant, applications must:
- Include a development rationale for how the grant will support further investment into Sierra Leone
- Demonstrate how their project will promote investment (local and international) into Sierra Leone’s private sector and enable economic growth, income growth and job creation
- Target either climate change mitigation or adaptation, or both
- Prove that the final investment project will be in Sierra Leone.
Investments should broadly fall within the following areas:
- Adapting and building resilience to the current and future effects of climate change
- Pursuing low-carbon development
- Supporting the sustainable management of natural resources
- Increasing access to clean energy
- Reducing deforestation
- Adopting climate-related disclosure measures
- Carbon capture or carbon off-setting initiatives.
Any sector or sub-sector aligned with climate change mitigation or adaptation is eligible. For example, potential sectors and sub-sectors could include the following:
- Low-carbon transportation and manufacturing
- Renewable energy generation (on- and off-grid)
- Energy efficiency
- Agriculture, forestry, husbandry and land use
- Natural resource management
- Energy transmission, storage and distribution
- Financial services that support climate change mitigation
- Carbon credit schemes to decrease deforestation.
- Sustainable/climate-smart agriculture or aquaculture
- Climate-related insurance and disaster resilience
- Nature-based infrastructure
- Ecosystem-based adaptation
- Waste and wastewater management.
How we help
Applicants can apply for funding to de-risk their decisions to invest in climate projects in Sierra Leone. This can include early-stage investment activities such as:
- Assessing the bankability of an investment
- Conducting market scoping or environmental impact assessments
- Site visits
- Conducting due diligence on potential investees
- Supporting pipeline development.
The Climate window can also support proof-of-concept of investments. Activities under this category include:
- Supporting businesses to adopt climate-related disclosure measures
- Finalising the capital structure and financial model of an investment
- Fundraising and marketing activities with prospective investors
- Selection of investee companies
- Producing key documents to finalise investment decisions
- Developing a climate change or environmental action plan.
Proposals are accepted from organisations or consortiums of organisations. Applicants are awarded funding in disbursements based on milestones and will need to meet reporting requirements as well as passing strict due diligence.
Apply for a PROSPER Salone grant
If you are an international or domestic investor who meets the eligibility criteria, please click the “Apply for a PROSPER Salone grant” button below.
Achievements to date
TRUESTONE IMPACT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Truestone is a British impact investor which manages a portfolio of early stage and high growth firms in Sierra Leone.
Truestone is using its PROSPER grant to:
Develop roll-out of agrifinance product offering and mitigate associated scale-up risks
Establish new investment vehicle to raise additional capital more effectively
Develop a measurement matrix to track carbon impact and establish decarbonisation strategies for investee companies in Sierra Leone
Attract new investment of over
£4 million for their existing and new portfolio in Sierra Leone
INCLUVEST
Incluvest is a Dutch-based investment manager that focuses on investments in inclusive business models in the agro-value chain. Incluvest is using its PROSPER grant to:
Develop a viable investment pipeline for Sierra Leone
Provide pre-investment technical assistance to companies
Make investments totalling over £1 million in the shortlisted companies in the agro-processing sector
SOLON CAPITAL PARTNERS
Solon is a West-Africa focused investment manager pioneering a new approach to investing in economic development in Africa. Solon is using its PROSPER grant to provide technical assistance to portfolio company West Africa Blue to:
Prepare a feasibility study for the first Verra Climate, Community and Biodiversity certified mangrove conservation project in Sierra Leone
Conduct analysis on the project’s theory of change to de-risk the project, such as activities to reduce deforestation and diversify incomes
Attract new investment of over US$3 million for the Sierra Leone project to fund design, implementation and scaling