On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Eder Munyampenda, the Rwanda Country Manager at Sawa Energy, a startup that empowers East Africa’s small and medium businesses by reducing electricity pricing and volatility.  Sawa Energy was founded by three environmentally and socially conscious entrepreneurs, who bring significant experience in solar, finance and business. Sawa Energy aims to become the largest private provider of solar power and seeks to deploy 50MW by 2030, supporting 1,000...

We had a conversation with Noelle Okwedy, the Energy Insights Lead at Stears, a startup focused on providing data and insights to professionals interested in the African continent.  Having  worked in the Nigerian power sector after studying financial economics with econometrics at the University of Kent. Noelle is passionate about improving energy access in Africa. We cover the following themes on this episode:  The history and initial intention of the Nigerian government for providing fuel...

On this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kelly-Ann Mealia, Chairperson and Co-Founder of Energy Capital & Power. Kelly-Ann brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in facilitating financial investments in Africa, shedding light on the significant impact these gatherings have on promoting investment and forging strategic alliances in Africa's energy industry. Since its conception in 2016, Energy Capital & Power has organised over twenty events around the world...

We had a conversation with Natasha Ibori, the Co-founder of Uwana Energy, a clean energy management platform and marketplace, to help people seamlessly transition to clean, affordable energy. Uwana Energy is an impact-driven entrepreneur committed to giving more people the freedom to do whatever they want.  Having worked in climate and finance across 4 continents, she is experienced in building holistic solutions. Natasha has assisted Growald Climate Fund in allocating $1bn in aligned...

We had a conversation with Chinenye Ajayi, an energy professional and commercial lawyer with over a decade worth of experience. Chinenye is currently the Team Lead of  the Power and Infrastructure Practice at Olaniwun Ajayi LP where she provides legal and business advisory services to clients within the energy sector, particularly in the renewable energy space. Amongst other volunteer activities, Chinenye also serves as a co-ordinator of the African Fellowship of Young Energy Leaders...

We spoke with Edma Lawer, the founder and CEO of ELO Petroleum,  an Oil and Gas service company that specialises is providing manpower and materials in the upstream sector in Ghana. Edma also runs Youth Empowerment Wave Global (YEWGlobal), a Youth NGO that engages and inspires young people to use their skills to establish businesses for themselves. After completing undergraduate and masters degrees in Oil and Gas Management and  International Relations and Democratic Politics respectively,...

A conversation with Hubert Waterinckx, a Social Development Specialist at the World Bank Group.  We unravel Hubert's journey – from working as a Tax Lawyer, to being a reservist in the Belgian army,  to a visionary in social development, all fueled by his unwavering passion to spread prosperity across Africa!  Since then, Hubert has worked on multiple large-scale infrastructure projects across Africa, from the West to the East of Africa. These projects span the health, education and of...

An exciting conversation with Bradley K. Poku-Amankwah , the acting Principal Coordinator at the Ghana Energy Transition Office. The Ghana Energy Transition Office is a collaboration between the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All and the Government of Ghana based at the office of the President in Accra.  Prior to this, Bradley served as the Senior Technical Assistant to Ghana’s Minister for Energy, and was secretary to the country’s National Energy Transition Committee. He is also...

We had a great conversation with Pam Haigh, who is the UK General Manager at Ripple Africa. Ripple Africa is a UK registered charity working to improve local environment, education and healthcare in Malawi, Africa. Operating at the grassroots level, involving the community in all aspects of its activity, Ripple Africa has over 690 staff and 12,000 people in Malawi working on projects on a part time, or voluntary basis.   These projects include fish conservation, fuel-efficient cookstoves,...

We had a great conversation with Nana Skari Maidugu, who is the Head of Sustainability and ESG at the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).  At NSIA, Nana is responsible for developing and driving sustainability strategy & climate initiatives, as well as the implementation of its ESG framework across the Authority, its investments and partnerships. With extensive experience in infrastructure investment, Nana shares her perspective on sustainable and impact investment in...

We sat down with Emmanuel Ezenwere  the CEO of Arone, a company whose mission is to pioneer technologies that democratize access to basic amenities required to live a better life.  Emmanuel is an entrepreneur with 8 years of experience building technologies that focus on the development of  unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)  and clean energy technologies. Arone looks to solve issues around access to electricity and healthcare within Nigeria, with a potential to scale to other developing...

We had a conversation with Nicholas Rawhani, the CEO of Vula, a company whose mission is to help African entrepreneurs secure funding for their business.  Born and raised in South Africa, Nic tells us about his experience transitioning from the corporate world with McKinsey, where he worked to support green scale-ups in Africa, to leading a venture backed start up.  The key themes we explore on this episode include: The challenges faced by African entrepreneurs in raising funding?Some tips...

We had a conversation with Maryam Abdulkadir, an environmentalist who works with rural communities in Nigerian to reintroduce cultural medicinal practices.  She is the founder of Plant Revival Enterprise, a social enterprise that replants native medicinal fruit trees and crops which have become endangered in specific communities in Nigeria. Plant Revival is known for creating the first botanical garden in northeastern Nigeria, on a hectare of land donated by Modibbo Adama University in Yola,...

We had a conversation with Rahul Srinivasan, a Senior Energy Specialist at Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll), to explore the nexus between energy and healthcare in Africa.    SEforAll is a United Nations partner organization that strives to accelerate access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia.  The key themes we explore on this episode include: The interdependencies between energy and healthcare in sub-saharan...

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As the name suggests, your hosts Hassana, Joshua and Bolaji, reflected on the 8 episodes released so far.  We highlighted where progress has been made and hinted on the direction of the podcast going forward. The nature of the conversation was more of a chat than a formal interview. Finally, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn

Can I use solar energy to power my business? On this episode of Africa's Big Switch we had a conversation with Victor Tobenna Ezenwoko, the Chief Commercial Officer of Daystar Power, to explore commercial and industrial clean energy solutions in Africa.  From steel manufacturers in Ghana to commercial banks in Nigeria, Daystar Power is committed to helping African businesses grow and develop by taking care of their power needs. In doing so, it aims to contribute to the clean and...

Still on Nuclear Energy! But this time we take a deeper dive into the technology. Have you heard of the Pebble Small Modular Reactor (PSMR)? We spoke to Dr Trevor Dudley, the CEO of Mozweli Nuclear Engineering Limited on the role of nuclear energy in diversifying Africa's energy mix. Dr Trevor holds over 26 years of experience in the nuclear engineering and he is particularly involved in the development of nuclear pebble technology. He is also a member of the South African advisory...

There is often this mysterious cloud surrounding the nuclear industry with a lot of false perceptions on its safety and role in contributing towards a sustainable energy future. On this episode of Africa's Big Switch, we had a conversation with Princess Mthombeni, a nuclear communication specialist with over 10 years experience, to help us demystify some of the myths surrounding the nuclear industry in Africa.  Some of the questions we explored include:  The safety of nuclear energy. Is it...

The Oil and Gas industry has been a notorious contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, which has contributed to climate change. But does oil & gas have a role to play in the energy transition in Africa? If so, how? To explore this, we sat down with James Makinde, the General Manager of Ardova Plc. With over 15 years experience in oil and gas industry, James now leads business development into sustainable energy solutions in areas of clean mobility and renewables amongst...