South Sudan has one of the lowest rates of mobile access and connectivity globally, with limited grid infrastructure and significant geographic barriers. Expanding reliable telecom coverage in this context requires coordinated efforts, sustained partnership, and long-term investment.

In 2024, Finnfund made its initial investment in Communication & Renewable Energy Infrastructure (CREI), a company that provides hybrid energy solutions for telecom infrastructure. In South Sudan, CREI powers mobile network operator MTN South Sudan’s telecom sites, enabling reliable network coverage in remote areas without access to stable electricity. Together, they are expanding essential mobile connectivity to rural communities in South Sudan that were previously beyond network reach.

ESCO Model: Transforming energy delivery in South Sudan

Under a 10-year contract, CREI operates as an Energy Service Company (ESCO), providing energy and energy management services to MTN South Sudan. Previously, MTN South Sudan was responsible for both network infrastructure and energy provision, requiring asset and network management while making significant upfront investments in site maintenance, power systems (primarily for diesel generators), and fuel supply. Operating in a high-risk, logistically challenging environment, these requirements greatly limited the pace and scale of network expansion and overall network reliability.

Through the ESCO model, responsibilities are now clearly divided: CREI finances, designs, builds, operates, and maintains the hybrid energy systems, while MTN South Sudan focuses entirely on deploying and expanding its telecom network. CREI also assumes responsibility for the long-term performance of the energy system throughout the contract term. This specialisation allows for significant changes to the cost structure, aligns incentives around reliable service delivery, and improves energy stability through a greater share of renewable energy. Rather than investing heavily in power infrastructure, MTN South Sudan can redirect capital toward coverage expansion, enabling faster, more ambitious network growth while improving service quality for end customers.

A mutually reinforcing development finance ecosystem

What makes this model work in practice is not just the partnership between CREI and MTN South Sudan, but the broader ecosystem of actors who make it possible, and who each benefit from its success.

In a market like South Sudan, where risks related to infrastructure, currency, and political stability are high, long-term, risk-tolerant capital is essential. The backing from the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) under the EU Finnfund Global Connected programme is what unlocks financing from Finnfund and other development finance partners in the first place. Without it, the project’s risk profile would make it challenging for investors to commit the level of capital needed for the project to reach its full potential.

That financing, in turn, is what allows the ESCO model to function at scale. By absorbing the substantial upfront capital expenditure required to deploy and maintain energy systems across hundreds of sites, development financing relieves the cost burden from MTN South Sudan and enables CREI to deliver long-term, performance-based energy services that would be out of reach through commercial financing alone.

“Our mandate is to make sure MTN South Sudan can grow” says Ghada Ghotmeh, Chief Investment Officer of the CREI Group. “If CREI strengthens the ecosystem and MTN South Sudan grows, then everyone benefits: the communities gaining connectivity, the investors, and the broader mission we’re all here to serve.”

Together, CREI and MTN South Sudan generate returns that meet Finnfund’s criteria across economic, environmental, and social dimensions and that advance the mission of the Global Connected programme to accelerate digital inclusion and climate resilience. And at the centre of it all are the local communities who gain access to connectivity that transforms daily life.

None of this would be possible without every actor in the chain: the EU’s EFSD+ programme, CREI, MTN South Sudan, Finnfund, and the communities they serve. Each depends on the others, and each makes the others more effective.

Renewable energy driving impact and growth

CREI’s hybrid solar systems unlock impact potential across economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Reducing reliance on diesel cuts carbon emissions, lowers operational costs, and delivers more reliable, stable connectivity.

Diesel-powered systems have long been the default for telecom sites in South Sudan, but limited road infrastructure, seasonal flooding, and vast remote areas make fuel logistics both expensive and difficult to manage. The result is higher operating costs, increased security risks, and more frequent delays and service interruptions.

Shifting to hybrid solar energy systems fundamentally changes this dynamic. By integrating solar generation with enhanced battery storage, CREI delivers more resilient power to telecom sites. Energy can be generated and stored on-site, ensuring continuous operation even when fuel deliveries are delayed or disrupted. This is especially critical in remote areas, where a single missed delivery can otherwise result in days of network downtime.

To date, over 500 sites have been modernised, exceeding initial targets. These sites now reliably serve more than 4 million people. As a result, network coverage has expanded from 76.6% to 85% of the population over the past two years.

For many rural communities, solar power is arriving before electricity from the national grid, meaning network expansion is no longer constrained by the grid’s reach or limitations. With reliable power in place, MTN South Sudan can move faster, extending connectivity into areas that would otherwise remain out of reach for years to come.

“Hybrid solar solutions eliminate the hidden costs that quietly undermine productivity: unreliable grid power, fuel logistics, fuel price volatility” says Ghotmeh. “Even in areas with grid access, the power is often not dependable enough to build on. Solar and batteries can change that equation entirely, giving us a stable, efficient foundation that diesel and the grid simply cannot guarantee.”

“From isolation to inclusion”

Access to reliable connectivity has far-reaching effects on daily life. For many people in rural South Sudan, the ability to make a phone call is the most immediate and transformative benefit, connecting families across distances and maintaining social ties. Mobile money services provide a secure way to send and receive funds, often without requiring internet access, supporting livelihoods and financial resilience. And beyond these essential uses, connectivity opens pathways to broader opportunities such as educational resources, health information, and digital platforms that support small businesses and local entrepreneurship.
“More reliable connectivity unlocks potential just waiting to be unleashed in rural communities” says Mapula Bodibe, CEO of MTN South Sudan. “With connectivity, communities go from darkness to light; it is the difference between isolation and inclusion.”

The project also contributes to local development through employment and skills transfer. CREI employs over 100 people in-country, primarily from local communities, providing training and long-term opportunities. In addition, nearly 1,000 people are indirectly employed, predominantly in security roles, further contributing to economic opportunity. This local involvement fosters a sense of ownership, with communities actively supporting and protecting the infrastructure that serves them. The result is not just improved connectivity, but stronger, more connected communities.

Published 3 September 2026