- Organizations join forces to reach a new level of impact and scale.
22 September 2021: Today Energy 4 Impact and Mercy Corps announced a merger to increase access to climate-smart, sustainable energy, improving the lives of millions around the world.
“With the turmoil of climate change, conflict and COVID-19 unravelling many of the development gains made over the past decade and pushing millions more people into poverty, there has never been a more urgent time to help communities build back better with access to cleaner, more sustainable energy,” says Anthony Marsh, Chairman of Energy 4 Impact’s board of trustees. “Plus, innovations in renewable energy technology and more sophisticated private sector models means that clean energy solutions are better and more affordable than ever. Together, our organizations have the potential to reach a whole new level of impact and scale.”
Today, more than 800 million people lack access to energy globally, 8 in 10 of whom live in “fragile” states where communities also face a myriad of complex challenges related to conflict, weak governance, and insecurity, as well as the growing impacts of climate change. Mercy Corps and Energy 4 Impact will together create opportunities to increase energy access and use for the communities that need them most, and to integrate energy into sectors such as agricultural development, economic growth, youth employment, humanitarian recovery, and climate resilience. The merger will enable Energy 4 Impact to both strengthen its position in its existing markets and develop new frontiers.
“By bringing Energy 4 Impact’s proven expertise in building sustainable energy markets into Mercy Corps’ large and diverse portfolio of humanitarian and development programs, including in fragile states, we can develop sustainable solutions in contexts where they’re needed most,” says Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO of the global organization Mercy Corps. “Energy access is key to unlocking people’s potential. It powers businesses and fires up economic opportunities, paving the route to greater stability and resilience.”
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About Energy 4 Impact: Energy 4 Impact is a UK-registered non-profit organisation seeking to reduce poverty in Africa by accelerating access to clean energy, helping businesses and communities make better use of that expanded access, and working with the private sector to support the sustainability of these efforts. Energy 4 Impact values access to energy not as an end in itself but for the difference it makes to people’s lives every day, in terms of agricultural development, economic growth, humanitarian recovery, and climate resilience. Supported by a small headquarters in London, Energy 4 Impact currently operates from regional offices in Kenya, Senegal, Benin, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Over the last 14 years, Energy 4 Impact has provided access to 18 million people in Africa.
About Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a global team of 5,600 humanitarians working to create a world where everyone can prosper. In more than 40 countries affected by crisis, disaster, poverty and climate change we work alongside communities, local governments, forward-thinking corporations and social entrepreneurs to meet urgent needs and develop long-term solutions to make lasting change possible. Mercy Corps has a total operating budget of $488M and last year reached nearly 37 million people.
