Africa's Big Switch (ABS)

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sat down with Kristin Wilson. Kristen currently works for the Innovate Africa Fund as the Managing Partner and Bold Angel Network, she crafts innovative solutions that combine human operations, data analytics, and software to drive growth for SMEs and start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa.The Innovate Africa Fund is a founder-first catalyst fund dedicated to accelerating the journey to product-market fit for African entrepreneurs.Kristin has over a decade of...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sat down with Modupe Poku. Modupe currently works for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as the Education Advisor to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education focusing specifically on digital learning.The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change partners with political leaders to drive meaningful change by offering strategy, policy, and delivery support, with a focus on harnessing technology to improve governance. By working closely wi...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sat down with Toni Sanni, Head Corporate Finance and Venture Capital at the Emerging Africa Group. The Emerging Africa Group is an ESG-focused organization that partners with investors to bridge Africa's financial gap and support sustainable development. With over $1 billion raised, it offers financing and advisory services across sectors like investment banking, fintech, and infrastructure.Toni Sanni is an accomplished financial services expert w...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sat down with Richard Chongo, the Country Director of Opportunity International Malawai. Opportunity International is a global network of over 40 organizations, primarily microfinance institutions, helping millions of families in over 20 countries across Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America to lift themselves out of poverty. Funded by support members in countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, and the USA, these organizations provide small...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sat down with Delz Erinle, the Founder and Product Lead of Agrify. Agrify focuses on decarbonizing the agricultural value chain through regenerative intelligence and carbon microfinance, aiming to improve farmer resilience and farmer incomes. Delz is an innovator with expertise in Economics and Product Design as well as master’s degrees in Marketing Management, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He also founded and leads Astra, which pioneers a new w...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sit down with Alberta Asafo-Asamoah, the Co-Founder of Liquify, an invoice financing platform connecting African SME's to global capital markets. Alberta started in corporate banking in Europe before moving to impact investing and entrepreneurship. In 2018, she founded AlgebraInTheCity, an educational support organization to provide quality education to underserved communities. Alberta completed her MBA at Imperial College Business School and has ...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sit down with Joe Kinvi, the Founder of PLTFM, a multi-asset investment platform for Africa and Africans in the Diaspora. He also leads HoaQ, an investor community with over 100 investments across Africa and its Diaspora. Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Joe was an experienced operator with a background in finance, mergers and acquisitions, business development, and partnerships. Joe has held key positions such as Head of Finance a...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sit down with Abiola Adebiyi, the Founder of Elevate Development Foundation (EDF). EDF is a youth-led NGO focused on educating, enlightening, and empowering vulnerable Nigerians in underserved communities.Abiola, a forensic accountant with a master's degree in sustainable development from the University of Sussex, advocates for public policies grounded in equity and justice to transform Nigeria, especially for its underserved populations. Through socia...

Send us a textOn this episode of ABS, we sat down with Dammy Feyide, the Founder of Theo by LISA, a digital learning solution for children in public primary schools and remote areas.Dammy is also the Team Lead of Strategic Partnerships & Business Development at ProvidusBank, the Founder & CEO of Let it Shine Academy, and the Proprietress & Executive Director of Let it Shine Secondary School.Since graduating with an economics and business management degree from Sheffield University...

Send us a textOn this episode of Africa's Big Switch Podcast, hosts Hassana, Joshua, Beatrice, and Bolaji reflect on the 14 episodes released so far. They discuss the progress that has been made and give insights into the future direction of the podcast. The conversation takes on a more casual and chat-like tone rather than a formal interview. The hosts also take the opportunity to wish the listeners a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn

Send us a textOn 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, suppo...

Send us a textWe 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 gover...

Send us a textOn 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 wo...

Send us a textWe 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 i...

Send us a textWe 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 Ene...

Send us a textWe 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 Democrati...

Send us a textA 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 heal...

Send us a textAn 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 Committe...

Send us a textWe 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...

Send us a textWe 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 invest...

Send us a textWe 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 sc...

Send us a textWe 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...

Send us a textWe 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 Un...

Send us a textWe 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 h...

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Send us a textAs 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.Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn

Send us a textCan 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...

Send us a textStill 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 adviso...

Send us a textThere 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 nu...

Send us a textThe 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 othe...

Send us a textDid you know?Over 3 billion people live without access to clean cooking facilities in the world today.According to the IEA, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 490,000 premature deaths per year linked to household air pollution from the lack of access to clean cooking facilities, with women and children being the worst affected. The unsustainable harvesting of fuelwood also contributes to deforestation.Africa's Big Switch podcast has so far focused on rural electrification for its f...

Send us a textWe spoke to Collins Kuindwa, an investment officer at SunFunder in Nairobi, to understand how rural electrification is financed in Africa. We explored the methods of financing, their associated risks and ways to overcome them. SunFunder is a mission-driven solar finance business based in Nairobi unlocking debt capital for solar energy in emerging markets, where over 2.2 billion people live without access to reliable energy.SunFunder has helped over 10 million people gain a...

Send us a textOn this episode, I had a conversation with Amit Saraogi and Anshuman Lath to learn how India was able to grow its electricity access from 60% to almost 100% of its population in two decades.What can African leaders learn from this? What roles do the private sector and public sector play in providing clean, affordable and sustainable electricity access for all? Please have a listen.Amit Saraogi is the Co-founder and CEO of Oorja Development Solutions Limited, a mission-drive...

Send us a textUsing Nigeria as a case study, I had a conversation with Bolaji Onalaja, an energy and technology consultant, to understand the current situation in Nigeria, challenges and available opportunities for renewable energy in ensuring access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all by 2030. This episode was hosted by Bolaji Akinola-AlliCo-hosted by Demilade Adeyemi and Daniel OgbonnaFollow us on Instagram and LinkedIn