At 2 a.m. in a small health centre in Lamwo District, midwife Grace Adong recalls when childbirth meant working in near darkness.
“When the kerosene lamp went out, we prayed,” she says. “You hold a newborn, and all you smell is smoke.”
For decades, rural Uganda lived with this silent burden. Families cooked on smoky fires, pupils bent over dim lanterns, and businesses stopped at sunset. Nearly 90% of households relied on firewood and charcoal, fuelling deforestation, respiratory disease, and deepening energy poverty.
Today, that darkness is lifting as a nationwide clean energy revolution takes root—from Lake Victoria’s remote islands to Uganda’s northern borders. Solar power, clean cooking, and electric mobility are reshaping daily life and powering opportunity.
The Cost of Sticking to the Old Ways
Uganda’s dependence on biomass has stripped the country of more than 1.16 million hectares of tree cover since 2001, according to NFA spokesperson Aldon Walukamba. Charcoal remains a leading driver of forest loss, pushing forest cover to about 21%.
Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu stresses that reliable power is central to Uganda’s economic transformation. “Electricity is the engine of transformation. Reliable power means progress for every Ugandan.”
Before recent reforms, rural clinics could not refrigerate vaccines, schools taught science without electricity, and farmers lacked power for irrigation and processing, costing incomes every dry season. But new hydropower, solar investments, tariff reforms, and clean cooking technologies are reversing these trends.
“Conserving the planet is critical,” Nankabirwa adds, “and conserving people from smoke and pollution is equally important.”
Solar Mini-Grids: Lighting Up the Last Mile
A turning point began with large-scale solar investments supported by Team Europe. Lamwo hosted Uganda’s earliest major mini-grid rollout in 2021, and by completion, over 10,000 people had access to clean power.
“Uganda and the EU share an aligned vision for a just and clean energy transition. As Uganda’s largest development ally, we mobilise financing to leverage private and public investments, prioritising green transition, sustainable growth, and job creation,” noted Jan Sadek, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Uganda.
In 2022, the GET Access Uganda Solar Programme committed €35 million to build 120 mini-grids for 110,000 people and 700 businesses. By January 2025, the EU announced six operational mini-grids and 153 more planned, targeting 150,000 people in Northern Uganda and the Lake Victoria Basin.
According to ERA CEO Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako, Uganda, has licensed and permitted 239 MW of Variable Renewable Energy, with 124 MW already operational. She says interim measures are in place to “safeguard the integrity of Uganda’s grid while paving the way for greater renewable integration.” By August 2025, the solar and wind grid-connection capacity was fully committed.
Voices from the Ground
In Kayunga Town, 23-year-old welder Joel Ssekito now runs his workshop on a 60kWp mini-grid developed by Volt-Terra Farm and Energy Ltd.
“Before, I used a petrol generator,” he says. “It was loud, dirty, and expensive. Now I can work late and take more orders.”
Across rural Uganda, mini-grids are powering welders, mills, internet cafés, carpenters, and battery-charging stations—fuelling a surge in local enterprise.
Turning Waste into Fuel
Clean cooking is emerging as urgently as electricity. Uganda targets 88,885 biodigesters, converting animal waste into clean biogas.
At Suubi Secondary and Vocational College in Lwengo, director David Ssemwogerere says their school uses a pit latrine biodigester for lighting and cooking. “Cooks no longer cough all day, children eat on time, and we stopped cutting wood,” he says.
Biodigesters are expanding in dairy and sugarcane regions, while bagasse and organic waste are increasingly used for biofuels—reducing deforestation and household smoke exposure.
Between 2024 and 2025, the EU and Denmark committed USD 11.5 million to build Uganda’s first climate-resilient market in Elegu, benefiting 1,500 traders—70% women. The raised, flood-proof facility will feature solar power and storage. Ambassador Jan Sadek said the project will boost cross-border trade and support vulnerable households.
E-Cooking and Cleaner Cities
In Kampala, Gulu, and Mbarara, electric cooking is rising as subsidies and innovations cut charcoal dependence.
“Charcoal was eating half my income,” says Aisha Nantume, a food vendor in Kawempe. “Now I use an e-cooker. It’s cheaper, faster, and cleaner.”
Urban households spend nearly a quarter of their income on charcoal, making e-cooking a powerful tool for savings, women’s health, and cleaner city air.
E-Mobility
In August 2025, the EU Delegation launched a 5-km e-cycling ride to kickstart the National E-Mobility Expo 2025. Later in October, EU heads of mission toured GOGO Electric’s facility, now one of Uganda’s leading e-mobility innovators.
At Green Diplomacy Week, the EU announced $1 million in new funding to GOGO Electric via EDFI ElectriFI, adding to an earlier $1.6 million injection. On 4 November 2025, GOGO confirmed a further $1 million reinvestment, raising ElectriFI support to $2.6 million.
GOGO Electric now operates 2,500+ electric motorcycles, manages 120 battery-swap stations, is building Africa’s first semi-automated lithium-ion battery plant (60,000 units annually) and raised $3 million from Uganda Development Bank in 2025.
“This investment proves we are on the right track,” said GOGO CFO Parth Shah. “It will expand battery production and deploy more e-motorcycles.”
Climate Action Meets Economic Empowerment
Uganda’s clean energy transition is economic as much as environmental. More than 250 mini-grid technicians have been trained, and thousands of youth are entering renewable energy businesses. Welders, millers, farmers, and boda-boda riders are earning more through energy access.
Ambassador Sadek emphasises that clean energy “is the foundation of sustainable growth, powering industry, trade, and climate resilience.” Team Europe has provided electricity access to 1.5 million people since 2014, with another 3 million expected by 2027.
Together, Tukola
Uganda’s transformation is rooted in collaboration—“Together, Tukola.”
Team Europe partners—including the EU, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden—are funding solar, clean cooking, and mini-grids. KfW, AFD, and the European Investment Bank are financing grid expansion. GIZ, EnDev, and SNV are providing skills and policy support. The Ministry of Energy and ERA are strengthening regulation, while private firms drive solar, biofuel, and e-mobility innovation.
The Global Gateway strategy aims to mobilise €300 billion globally by 2027, with €150 billion for Africa and €3.4 billion for renewable energy and efficiency.
KfW’s Eng. Dr Milton Edimu notes that the GET FiT Programme—mobilising over $455 million for 17 renewable projects—has added 159.4 MW, boosted Uganda’s energy output by 20%, and strengthened climate resilience.
“These projects have driven climate-resilient, low-carbon growth in Uganda, boosting energy production by 20% and improving access for around 200,000 households,” notes Eng Edimu.
At Kakira Sugar Limited, a $36 million ethanol distillery produces 20 million litres annually and will support Uganda’s mandatory 5% ethanol blend in petrol from late 2025.
From solar mini-grids to biodigesters, electric motorcycles to ethanol fuels, Uganda’s clean energy revolution has become a multi-front transformation—cutting pollution, driving rural enterprise, and powering a greener, more prosperous future.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the official position, policies, or views of the European Union or any of its institutions.