Deadline: 31th December 2025.
The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) is a large-scale research-focused and capacity-building Climate Service Centre designed to help tackle the climate change challenge by enhancing the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increasing variability. Its mission is to provide information and knowledge to its West African member countries from the local to the regional level. This is in response to the impacts of climate change by building up resilient and productive socio-ecological landscapes.
In the scope to become one of Africa’s leading science-based institutions in providing climate services in and for West Africa, WASCAL’s actions are driven by its ambition to combat climate change, improve livelihoods and promote renewable energy and green hydrogen.
Through its Renewable and Green Hydrogen Coordination, WASCAL has stepped up and championed in the development and deployment of renewable energy and green Hydrogen in terms of policies, capacity building, and demonstrative projects implementation as well as technical studies.
Some of the initiatives are the H2Atlas Africa Project, the development of the ECOWAS Green Hydrogen policy and ECOWAS Green Hydrogen Strategy and Action Plan, and the implementation of the International Master Program in Energy and Green Hydrogen. There are also demonstrative, pilot and study projects such as, the Waste-to-energy project in Ghana which is an outstanding pilot hybrid plant for demonstration technologies of energy production from waste and sustainable business model for duplication in West Africa, the PV2H project which aims to optimizing large scale solar plants in the perspective of green hydrogen production in West Africa, the BIO2H project in Burkina Faso which investigates the bioenergy potential for green hydrogen production, the NIGERIA4H study in Nigeria which analyses the potentials, infrastructure, and other enabling framework conditions for green hydrogen-to-fertilizer production in Nigeria, the REPGam Project in the Gambia, which is a pilot project for development of different usage of solar installations for villages, the biogas lab project in Togo which is establishing a high standard lab for biogas characterization and research and is to be recognised as a regional certification lab, and other projects that the WASCAL Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen Coordination oversees across the West African region.
- Call for Proposals: Objectives
Overall objective: This call aims to foster and support the implementation of innovative projects and development & research ideas regarding renewable energy (RE) and green hydrogen (GH2) in West Africa.
Specific Objectives
- Contribute to the electricity access by the development of innovative ideas in the RE and GH2 Sector
- Contribute to the development in rural and peri-urban areas through the integration of renewable energy and green hydrogen systems
- Develop innovative solutions for addressing renewable energy and green hydrogen issues
- Develop innovative solutions/approaches for renewable energy and green hydrogen integration in our communities
- Impact positively the livelihood of the communities
Eligibility
This call is addressed to
- young West Africans. Any individual or group of young people (Students, academics, practitioners, scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs, associations…) from a West African country (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo). Having a bank account is necessary.
- associations/organisations, being legally registered in a West African Country and having a local bank account in the name of the association/organisation
- Proposal requirements
The project ideas/initiatives should be focused on the development of renewable energy and green hydrogen with possible links to the following non-exhaustive thematics:
- Renewable energy solutions
- Green Hydrogen technologies
- Green mobility
- Energy access and services through renewables
- Biomass/waste recovery and energy
- Energy-Water-Food Nexus Solutions
- Productive uses of renewable energy in rural areas
- Thematic Trainings/ Conferences/Workshops/ Raising awareness
- Energy efficiency solutions
- Women’s and girls’ empowerment in the renewable energies sector
- Renewable energy in Socio-economic development and increasing the added value in rural areas
- Innovative business plan models for energy technologies and services
The focus in the proposals can be on developing a product or process, a service, a business model, or a scientific study etc.
- Grant requirements
The maximum amount of grant allocated for each project is 20 000€ and the duration should not exceed 15 months
The categories of expenses considered as eligible and non-eligible are indicated below. Note that the eligible expenses must be based on real costs, based on supporting documents. Expenses that do not appear realistic may be rejected.
It is, therefore, in the applicant’s interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget in Euros based on the currency exchange rates at the time of proposal submission.
- Eligible Expenses
Eligible expenses concern the Direct costs, namely the Project Implementation Costs:
- Operational expenses like supplies, utilities, and rents.
- Travel and transportation costs
- Procurement of goods and services necessary for project implementation.
- Training and capacity-building activities directly linked to the project.
They must also be reasonable, justified, and compliant with sound financial management principles. They must be directly verifiable and traceable to the activities being implemented.
- Illegible Expenses
Illegible expenses concern:
- Administrative costs
- Bonuses, Provisions, and Reserves
- Duties, Taxes, and Charges
- Return of Capital, Debts, and Debt Service Charges
- In-Kind Contributions
- Currency exchange losses
- Purchases of land or buildings
- Institutional overheads
The funds transfer will be done by WASCAL under the following terms:
- Fund Transfer terms
The applicants should have a bank account for the funds transfer. They should provide the schedule and share of transfers based on the implementation roadmap, which is part of the proposal.
According to the specificity of the project, direct payments may be applied to specific expenses. The first grant transfer will be done after the contract signature. The following transfers will always be done after the applicants submit technical and financial reports with proof of expenses based on the implementation roadmap.
Application process
- Proposal Preparation:
Eligible applicants are expected to prepare their own proposals. Joint multi-applicants’ submissions are permitted and encouraged. If an eligible applicant participates in a multi-applicant proposal, it cannot then also submit a single proposal. Also, any eligible applicant who submits a single proposal is not allowed to participate in a multi-applicant proposal. Applicants have to submit a full project proposal.
Incomplete applications will be rejected. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.
- Proposal Template:
Applicants must complete the application form. All sections must be completed for the Selection Committee to be able to make an informed decision on the selection.
Each project has a maximum implementation period of 15 months.
- Supporting Documents:
The submission package is composed of:
- The filed and signed application form
- Endorsement letter from the institution/organization of the applicant
- CV of the applicants
- Certificate of registration for the associations and organizations.
- Engagement with Project Participants and WASCAL: Proposals must demonstrate interest in WASCAL activities.
- Proposal Submission
The proposal should be a full version. It should be sent via email to: [email protected]. Submission of documents must be in PDF format. WISE proposals and related document are required to be in English or French. Submissions must be received by 11:59 pm (GMT+00), 31th December 2025.
No exceptions will be made to the deadline or document formats. Incomplete applications and applications submitted after the deadline will be automatically rejected
Applicants are encouraged to submit a few days earlier than the deadline in case there are technical problems in the submission process.
Applicants will receive an acknowledgement email upon confirmation of receipt.
The subject line should read “WISE Proposal Application”.
Any request for clarification must be sent by e-mail address to the following email address at [email protected]
For more information.