Meet our Annual Award winners: Plan International España

The OPEC Fund’s 2026 Annual Award for Development recognized three organizations making a profound difference to people’s lives. In the Transformational Impact category, the award went to Plan International España for DESFERS, an initiative supporting women’s renewable energy entrepreneurship in the Sahel.

Implemented in Senegal, Mali and Niger, DESFERS — Développement Economique et Social des Femmes à travers les Energies Renouvelables au Sahel — links clean energy access with women’s economic empowerment. The project helps women use renewable energy not only in their homes, but also as entrepreneurs, business owners and service providers.

As Plan International Country Director, Virginia Saiz put it, “This award does not belong to us. It belongs to the women who turn solar panels into irrigated gardens, into processing units, into businesses that feed and educate their families through the dry season; women who, through a pandemic, security crises and political upheaval, never stopped building. It belongs to the young women and men who become solar technicians, entrepreneurs, trainers. Who prove that the green transition can mean not only cleaner energy, but jobs, dignity and hope.”

DESFERS is part of the EU-funded Women and Sustainable Energy initiative, which promotes women’s energy entrepreneurship across 10 countries. In the Sahel, the project was designed to support 21,000 women through the development of 4,650 small renewable energy businesses in 600 villages.

The initiative combines decentralized renewable energy solutions with skills training, entrepreneurship support, access to credit, job creation and community awareness. These activities are designed to help women establish or expand income-generating activities in areas such as solar lighting, solar home systems, productive-use equipment and other renewable energy services.

The project also addresses barriers that often limit women’s participation in the energy sector, including access to finance, technical skills, business support and decision-making opportunities. By working with local communities, financial institutions and private sector partners, DESFERS aims to create a stronger ecosystem for women-led businesses in rural and fragile settings.

The award recognized Plan International España for strong evidence of impact at scale, its transformative approach and its partnership and sustainability model across fragile and conflict-affected environments in West Africa.

For the OPEC Fund, the initiative reflects the role of targeted development support in expanding opportunity, strengthening livelihoods and helping communities benefit from the energy transition.