FAQ

What is the role of the OCEF manager?

OCEF administers and manages the Off-Grid Clean Energy Facility. OCEF supports grant beneficiaries during the preparation, launch and development phases of off-grid clean energy projects.

Who can submit proposals to the calls for applications?

The calls are open to private sector operators, NGOs, decentralized local authorities, public and parapublic sector operators and international organizations.

To ensure sustainability, it is desirable that projects be done in partnership between national, regional and international actors.

Are all sites in Benin eligible?

OCEF supports projects that are located at least 7 km from the electricity network that is existing or planned within the next 10 years. For Window 4: Energy efficiency measures, all sites in Benin are eligible.

How long will it take to get an answer after I have submitted an application ?

After the closing date of the request for applications, the various procedures (reviews by the OCEF manager, assessments and short list by the Project Selection Panel, submission to the Investment Committee and final decisions) take between 3 and 4 months.

Is the OCEF manager responsible for project selection?

No, OCEF supports bidders to ensure their files are compliant and complete and administers a baseline screening. A Project Selection Panel (PSP) is then responsible for the pre-selection of projects. Final validation is carried out by an Investment Committee (IC). The process is therefore totally transparent and entrusted to teams of multidisciplinary experts.

What is the total amount of planned grants?

The total amount of grants is approximately 32,000,000 USD (indicatively 17,920,000,000 CFA francs – subject to variations in exchange rate).

What is the percentage of project funding that the project promoter can receive as OCEF grant to a project?

OCEF will grant a maximum of 75% of eligible project cost. However proposals that request less will be better scored during the evaluation.

Is the entire grant given at the start of the Project?

No, the grant will be allocated according to the stages of an agreement between the OCEF and the bidder. However, each successful project will have its own schedule and disbursements will be adapted to meet the implementation milestones.

What does social and gender integration mean?

The MCA-Benin II Compact requires that all projects provide equal access to women and other vulnerable groups in the project. To meet the requirements, grant applicants should demonstrate in their proposals approaches that reinforce the principles of social and gender mainstreaming and how their proposed activity will address measures to improve equal access in their communities to vulnerable groups.

What is the SmartME software?

For submisison of project proposals and for effective fund management, OCEF uses SmartME (Intelligent Monitoring and Evaluation), a cloud-based software. SmartME is specifically designed to facilitate project monitoring and its structure is based on the OCEF M&E Data Collection Plan.