Patient Capital Key to Clean Energy Access in Africa

At London Climate Action Week, a central message resonated from African clean energy innovators: bridging the continent’s energy gap requires not just technology, but smarter, more patient investment.

Organized by Ashden, the event “Financing Africa’s Clean Energy Innovators” brought together entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and beyond. Hosted by BBC World Service presenter Myra Anubi, the showcase put a spotlight on entrepreneurs driving forward solutions from solar installations to electric vehicles. At the core of their discussions was a shared concern: international financial systems are not adequately structured to support the scale-up of these solutions.

Rachel Kyte, UK Special Representative for Climate, set the tone during her keynote. “One of the original drivers behind the Paris climate agreement was to provide clean, affordable and reliable energy for everyone. And the great news is that this technology is within our reach. It is financially within our reach. It is politically within our reach. We’ve just got a get a little bit better organised in order to be able to do it.”

Kyte underlined the need for systemic financial reform. “In many countries, the financial markets are not deep enough, liquid enough and broad enough. And so there is important structural work that we as the UK will increase and have to be involved in. But don’t ever give up on the idea that this is entirely, entirely, entirely achievable… When clean, affordable, reliable electricity comes to a village, it transforms everything.”

The Power of People-Centred Innovation

Throughout the event, entrepreneurs shared real-world examples of how clean energy directly improves lives. Buradum Geteh, CEO of Nigeria-based Burasolutions, spoke starkly of the stakes: “The deadliest thing in Nigerian Hospitals is not malaria, it’s not typhoid, and it’s not even COVID 19. It’s darkness.”

Geteh’s company focuses on scaling solar for healthcare and rural communities, already identifying over 270 sites in Nigeria where solar could replace dangerous energy gaps. “Let’s transform candlelight and prayers into sustainable power.”

In Uganda, GOGO Electric’s electric motorbikes are not just reducing emissions but increasing incomes. Claire Bakhita, the company’s Projects & Development Manager, shared the story of Tony, a motorcycle taxi driver whose switch to an electric motorbike raised his earnings by 40%. Within a few months, Tony saved enough to pay his daughter’s school fees.

“When we centre people at the heart of the clean energy transition, we don’t just fight climate change, we create a ripple throughout the community,” Bakhita said.

Building Local Supply Chains and Cutting Costs

Another voice from Nigeria, Sandra Chukwudozie of Salpha Energy, highlighted how domestic supply chains can reduce costs and increase impact. “So my mission was not just to distribute solar solutions, but to lay down the supply chain in Nigeria,” she said.

Her company has powered the lives of 200 million people and, more importantly, cut the cost of solar in Nigeria. “Innovation and passion are the tools you need to change the world.”

Healthcare Gaps: A Critical Frontline

Jodie Wu, CEO of OffGridBox, pointed out a troubling disconnect: despite $1.3 trillion invested in solar energy globally over the past decade, less than 0.1% has reached the health clinics that need it most in sub-Saharan Africa.

Wu’s business model offers clinics reliable solar power with installation, operation, and maintenance included, for a small monthly fee. “Let’s stop asking if we should invest in powering essential health services, and let’s fund the model that’s already doing it,” she urged.

Mobility as Economic Catalyst

From Zimbabwe, Lisa Mare of Mobility for Africa highlighted how electric tricycles are empowering rural women. For individuals like Sekai, traditional motorbikes simply aren’t practical for transporting goods or children. With a tricycle, Sekai’s income jumped from under a dollar a day to as much as $150 a week.

Yet demand outstrips supply. “We’ve got a waiting list with over 2,000 individuals, spanning across 22 geographical locations. It’s our dream to get each and every one of those people a tricycle,” Mare said.

Why Investment Isn’t Reaching the Frontline

The event’s panel discussion surfaced the structural obstacles that prevent capital from flowing where it’s needed most: currency risk, market fragmentation, restrictive regulations. These hurdles disproportionately affect smaller, community-focused enterprises.

Agnes Dasewicz, Chief Investment Officer at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, illustrated the scale of the gap: “There are billions of dollars flowing to energy investment but only a fifth to emerging markets—and a smaller percentage to groups like these we’ve heard about today.”

Dasewicz emphasized the fragmented nature of current financing ecosystems. “Capital systems haven’t been formed to support these smaller organisations. Countries perceive them as very risky. And a lot of the systems are very fragmented – financiers, governments, philanthropy – are all doing different things.”

She advocated for coordinated efforts across sectors. “We need to bring these fragmented systems together to work in coherent and concerted efforts for universal sustainable energy access.”

Scaling Proven Solutions

Ashden CEO Ashok Sinha closed with a pointed reminder: “We have just five years to go to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 7 – universal sustainable and affordable energy access. We need innovation, creativity, but more than anything we need to scale the proven solutions.”

Sinha highlighted Ashden’s 25-year track record supporting such solutions but stressed that partnerships and collaborations will be critical in meeting the challenges ahead.

For Africa’s clean energy entrepreneurs, the technology is ready. The ideas are tested. The impact is undeniable. What remains is restructuring investment systems to match the pace and urgency of the need.