In October 2010, Lighting Africa expanded into Mali and Senegal. This is the first time that the joint IFC/World Bank program starts work in francophone countries, building on its work in Kenya and Ghana.
In Mali, Lighting Africa will develop a quality seal for solar portable lamps and pilot lamp sales in selected concession areas, building on the successful electricity expansion project in the country. In Senegal, the program will introduce quality lanterns in rural and peri-urban locations.
In both Senegal and Mali, Lighting Africa will work with the rural electrification agency. Lighting Africa signed an agreement with the Malian Agency for Household Energy and Rural Electrification (AMADER) and the Senegalese Agency for Rural Electrification (ASER).

Lighting Africa has also deepened its activities in East Africa. In Ethiopia, the program, with the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines and Energy, will build distribution channels for off-grid lighting products, provide access to finance for the importers and distributors of those products, promote quality products and develop consumer awareness about alternatives to kerosene based lighting. Lighting Africa will be implemented as part of the World Bank’s Energy Access Project.

Meanwhile, in Tanzania, the Rural Electrification Agency has signed five grant agreements for the winners of the Lighting Rural Tanzania competition held earlier this year. The grants of up to US$100,000 are supporting innovative proposals to extent affordable off-grid lighting to Tanzanian rural households and businesses. The competition was modeled on the Lighting Africa Development Marketplace, which provides seed funding for innovations in off-grid lighting product development.