Unlocking Solar Capital Africa

Wednesday 31 May 2023

Program Day 1

08:00

Registration & Welcome Coffee

60 min.

Registration is also open on May 30th from 14:00 - 17:00

Session Topics:

09:00

Welcome Remarks by Chairpersons

15 min.

Koen Peters

GOGLA

Koen Peters

Executive Director

GOGLA

Koen Peters has been GOGLA's Executive Director since 2014. He has more than 20 years of international work experience, of which more than 12 years in relation to energy access. He gathered insights from many different perspectives and organizations, including government, consulting, start-up businesses, and international finance organizations. Prior to joining GOGLA, Koen worked as renewable energy expert within the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as a consultant in relation to energy access business initiatives in developing countries. During this period he co-founded and co-managed a solar PV company in Tanzania, then (in 2001-2006) the first company to focus mainly on providing solar energy solutions to poor people in rural communities. He was also project manager of one of the first projects aimed at solar mobile phone charging solutions, in Uganda. Koen has a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from Wageningen University and a Master's in Business Administration jointly from Nyenrode University and Kellogg School of Management. He is married and has two children.

Manoela Hartung

Solarplaza

Session Topics:

09:15

Keynote Opening

presentation

30 min.

Ruth Nankabirwa

MEMD Uganda

Mukami Kariuki

The World Bank

Mukami Kariuki

Country Manager for Uganda

The World Bank

R. Mukami Kariuki is the Country Manager for Uganda. Ms Kariuki, who is based in Kampala, works closely with the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders to provide products and services that respond to Uganda’s development challenges and those that contribute to achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, with a specific emphasis on COVID-19 (coronavirus) recovery. She has a strong track record that spans more than 30 years in development planning local government and decentralization, infrastructure development, water supply and sanitation, climate change, and disaster risk management. Ms. Kariuki has served as the Country Manager for Zimbabwe; Global Lead for Urban Development and Poverty; Practice Manager for Urban Development for Sub-Saharan Africa; Sector Manager for Urban Development and Water Supply in East and Southern Africa; Lead Specialist for Water Supply and Sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa; Sector Leader for Sustainable Development in Tanzania, Burundi, and Uganda. Ms Kariuki, a Kenyan national, holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the State University of New York and has also undertaken several short courses from different institutions such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics.

Session Topics:

SESSION 1

Scaling Solar for the Just Energy Transition

09:45

Shining the Light on Solar Growth in Africa

panel

60 min.

Despite a steady increase in renewable energy financing over the past decade, wealthier nations such as China and the United States have consistently attracted the majority of solar investments. Least Developed Countries, where many lack basic energy access, received only 0.84% of investments between 2013 and 2020. This lack of power hinders farms, businesses, and public institutions, reducing food security, economic opportunity, and welfare. Without significant energy access investments in these low-income markets, entire countries will be left behind in the clean energy transition, leading to 215 million people being left behind by 2030. This session highlights the urgent need to scale solar for a just energy transition. This session will:

moderator

Raihan Elahi

ESMAP

Raihan Elahi

Lead Energy Specialist

ESMAP

Mr. Raihan Elahi, Lead Energy Specialist, the World Bank is a thought leader in promoting electricity access using innovative technologies and disruptive business models. He is currently managing the Bank’s Lighting Africa Program to promote private sector investment and facilitate policy changes to develop markets for standalone solar products. Under his leadership the Lighting Africa Program has evolved and is supporting electrification of productive uses, such as water pumping, irrigation, etc. to electrifying public institutions, such as healthcare facilities, education facilities, etc. and contributing to broader Bank objectives of human capital development. Mr. Elahi played a significant role in the design and development of the Bangladesh solar market which electrified about 18 million people. A book written by Nancy Wimmer “The Marketmakers” features the experience. He was instrumental in developing the stand-alone solar market in Ethiopia by attracting private sector participation. In addition to off grid energy access, Mr. Elahi also works in other conventional energy practice areas, including hydropower, geothermal energy, grid connected solar PV, transmission and distribution network development, power sector reforms, etc. Mr. Elahi holds an MBA in Finance and an MSc. in Statistics.

Sarah Bieber

Acumen

Joao Cunha

African Development Bank

Irene Bateebe

MEMD Uganda

Maya Stewart

Yellow

Faran Rana

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Session Topics:

Highlight the Climate/ Access nexus (a different approach to invest beyond just measuring mitigation of carbon emissions)
"Portray" Just Energy Transition / Leave No One Behind
Highlight flexible financing instruments

10:45

Morning Networking Break

Session Topics:

SESSION 2A

Finance & Investment Trends

11:45

Laying out the Financial Plan for a Sustainable Future

panel

75 min.

Solar in Africa is rising and so are its investment opportunities - in 2022, investments further increased by 16%, reaching 0.5 trillion USD. Nevertheless, solar remains largely underfunded when we take the SDG goals as a target. Furthermore, it must be ensured that financial instruments incentives companies to enhance access to electricity, as about 85% of the investments benefitted less than 50% of the population. This session will explore strength, weaknesses and future of the finance mechanisms & trends available in the solar sector

moderator

Angela Muraguri

KawiSafi

Sanjeev Debipersad

AECF

Michael Franz

GET.invest

Chloe Koburunga

Triple Jump

Lorraine Indangasi

Charm Impact

Session Topics:

Key topics in this debate are:

Showcasing finance mechanisms and trends in on-and off-grid
Highlight public-private partnerships for project development
Blended Finance: Where are blended structures more needed? Lessons learned and best practices
Making Finance Catalytic: How to catalyze debt and equity

SESSION 2B

Powering Climate Resilience

11:45

How Access to Electricity Changes Lives

panel

75 min.

730 million people still live without electricity. The majority are based in regions of the world most vulnerable to climate change. Access to decentralised renewable electricity is improving food and water security, connectivity, health, productivity and resilience.

This session will share insights on the ways that DRE can build adaptive capacities, generate millions of green jobs, and ensure that no one is left behind in the clean energy transition.

moderator

Kat Harrison

60 Decibels

Kat Harrison

Director of Impact

60 Decibels

Kat leads the energy work at 60 Decibels. She has been working on understanding, measuring, and sharing insights on the impact of energy access for end-users for 10 years, having specialised in impact measurement, M&E, and insights for international development for 15 years. Kat developed the sector’s first impact benchmark through the Lean Data work in energy. She was previously Associate Director of Impact at Acumen and Director of Research & Impact at SolarAid where she developed and managed the award-winning research and impact work there. Kat Chaired the GOGLA Impact Working Group from 2013-17, leading the development of the standardised Impact Metrics for energy access. Kat was recognised as a Young Leader in Renewable Energy by Recharge, was finalist for the Red magazine Women of the Year award for her work, and launched the 2015 UNESCO International Year of Light alongside HRH Duke of York. Kat has a MSc in Development Policy, Process and Practice from the University of Reading (Distinction) and a BSc in Economics and International Development from the University of Bath (2.i).

Steven Fleurus

ENGIE

Oscar Ankunda

Power Africa

Sarah Alexander

SNV

Tafi Chikwakwata

Clamore Solar

Session Topics:

Highlight the Climate/ Access/Agri nexus - and how off-grid solar irrigation, cold chain and communications technologies can improve food and water security and drive climate-smart agriculture, including particular benefits for women
Profile the potential of DRE solutions to create green jobs and power enterprise
Explore how DRE improves income, savings and financial inclusion – boosting resilience

13:00

Networking Lunch

Session Topics:

SESSION 3A

Technology & Business Innovation

14:15

Africa's Vibrant, Dynamic, Next Generation of Solar Innovators

panel

75 min.

A new generation of solar technology in Africa is powering its solar energy future. These innovative and disruptive approaches and technologies keep the energy sector evolving and are needed to displace Africa’s fossil fleet. These solutions require integrated solutions and productive asset financing to tackle affordability and scalability. Data and digitalization are transforming the technology landscape and driving growth in distributed solar.

moderator

Russel Lyseight

Global Distributors Collective

Chanel Gisage

Sparkmeter

Edgar Wavomba

SunCulture

Jenny Fletcher

Ariya Finergy

Andi Kleissner

Amped

Alexandre Tourre

Easy Solar

Session Topics:

Which technologies are emerging as game-breakers?
How can technologies tackle issues surrounding accessibility and affordability?
Showing the approach that investors are taking in financing new technologies
Highlighting best practices to succesfully integrate solar technologies in a business model

SESSION 3B

Policy & Regulation

14:15

Integrated Energy Planning & Smart subsidies to achieve Sustainable Development Goals

panel

75 min.

Despite the increasing adoption of integrated energy planning approaches by governments to achieve universal Energy Access Goals, the finance and investment required to achieve these targets is woefully inadequate. The shortfall in funding cuts across equity, debt, grants, supply and demand side subsidies, and other fiscal support measures.
The situation is alarming, and urgent action is needed from both the public sector and development partners to unlock the finance and investment required to realize Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). This session will review the adoption of sector support programs to unlock necessary finance from governments and development partners, including subsidies and broader economic factors to realize SDG7

moderator

David Otieno

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Kristina Skierka

PowerforAll

Anthony Osijo

Bboxx

Sylla Elhadji

ECOWAS Commission

Sylla Elhadji

Senior Advisor

ECOWAS Commission

Mr. SYLLA is an Energy Expert/Specialist in access to electricity in rural areas. Mr. Sylla holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Physics and Chemistry respectively from the Higher Polytechnic School of Dakar (ESP) and the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies of the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar (UCAD). Prior to joining the ECOWAS Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP), Mr. Sylla has held various senior positions for over 15 (fifteen) years related to the management and implementation of access to electricity, especially in off-grid electricity generation. As part of his previous experience, he was: the Project Manager in charge of Renewable Energy at the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASER); the Key Expert in Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy at Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE); and the main expert in charge of renewable energy, rural electrification and energy efficiency of the institutional support and capacity building program for stakeholders in the energy sector in Benin financed by the European Union. Mr. Sylla is currently the Senior Advisor on ROGEAP to the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization. This project is financed by the World Bank and covers 19 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Sylla was also a Lecture and researcher in renewable energies at the Renewable Energy Laboratory of ESP of Dakar.

Giuseppe Gregu

REEEP

Paul Byamugisha

Ministry of Infrastructure – Rwanda

Paul Byamugisha

Sr. Climate Finance Officer

Ministry of Infrastructure – Rwanda

Paul is a Senior Climate Finance Officer at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in Uganda. With over 13 years of experience in banking and project finance, who is currently part of a Climate Finance unit tasked with the responsibility of Mobilizing both National and International Climate financing to meet the Paris commitment of raising over USD28.1Bn in both conditional and unconditional commitments. Paul is also directly responsible for co-ordinating International funding windows of GCF, AF and GEF on behalf of the NDA Focal point in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and is also in charge of innovative financing Mechanisms to unlock the private sector financing of Climate Change projects in Uganda. He works directly and indirectly with State and non-state actors including Banks and insurance support programs in close collaboration with other development partners to identify and promote Climate Finance mobilization strategies geared towards meeting Uganda’s updated NDC targets of 24.7% by 2030.

Session Topics:

Combining off-grid solar, mini-grid and utility-scale: The pathway to achieve universal access.
How subsidies contribute to reaching the underserved: Supply and Demand Side subsidies
Examples of best practice / leading countries in Integrated Energy Planning
Facilitating the targetted growth through subsidies?

15:30

Afternoon Networking Break

Session Topics:

SESSION 4A

Energy Leaders

16:30

Solar Champions in Africa

panel

60 min.

Get ready to be inspired! During this session, we'll explore multiple business cases from the Sub-Saharan African solar industry, sharing valuable lessons learned and highlighting opportunities that have been successfully seized. We'll examine what's working well and identify ways that the industry can continue to improve its approach.
These cases will serve as a source of inspiration and guidance for our discussions and debates, connecting days 1 and 2 of the Unlocking Solar Capital Africa conference.

moderator

Joyce Nkuyahaga

RTI International

Denis Karema

SokoFresh

Nick Imudia

d.light

Stella Lunkuse

SolarNation

Stella Lunkuse

Managing Director

SolarNation

Inspired by failure to read in the night in her early years of secondary school Stella though she never joined the renewable energy sector just after school she never lost her dream of the aspiration to contribute to availability of light especially in the rural areas that are offgrid. Stella founded Solar Nation in 2019 after resigning from Uganda Revenue Authority to pursue her dream in the renewable energy space. Currently Stella is the managing Director of Solar Nation a company that has installed over 180KWp in both home, commercial systems around Uganda economically impacting over 40 people through both indirect and direct jobs, socially impacting over 400 house-holds each with an average of five people which is equivalent to 2000 lives impacted and environmentally contributed to offset of 2,911,000 Carbon Emission Offset hence saving the environment by end of 2022. With more effort in the home systems Solar Nation is relentlessly building her profile in the commercial and Industrial sector as well and has successfully built strategic partnerships with reputable suppliers like Collective Energy Africa (LV Flex Lite BYD Solar Lithium-Ion Batteries) Stella has a Bachelors in International Business, ACCA, CPA, Training in various Renewable Energy courses facilitated by CREEC, Challenges Uganda, USEA and CEA (BYD).

Paul Kamoga

Aptech Africa

Paul Kamoga

General Manager

Aptech Africa

For the past four years, Paul has been a valuable member of Aptech Africa, a prominent solar and water pumping EPC company in Uganda. During his tenure, he has actively collaborated with the company's R&D team to introduce innovative digital solutions aimed at increasing the adoption of solar water pumping in Uganda. His profound knowledge of the local market has been instrumental in understanding the unique needs of end-users, as he frequently engages with them and gains firsthand insights into the prevailing conditions of the solar energy market on the ground. Paul's educational background in computer science and data analysis has fostered a strong inclination toward staying abreast of the latest advancements in digital technology. This knowledge equips him with a deep understanding of current social media and digital marketing trends, which he leverages to drive impactful strategies. Within Aptech Africa, Paul has assumed roles as a project coordinator and chairman for various company committees, where he actively participates in making key strategic decisions.

Safiya Aliyu

Sosai

Safiya Aliyu

General Manager

Sosai

Safiya Aliyu joined the Renewable Energy industry in 2007. She has a Master’s in Business Administration. Before her graduation from the university, she volunteered with the Developmental Association for Renewable Energies (DARE) supporting the Solar Cooker Deployment project and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project on improved cook stove. Upon graduation from the university, she joined Sosai Renewable Energies Company as a Project Officer, she later rose through the ranks to become a Project Manager in which position she managed the Arthur Guinness Fund/ Relief International Water Filter Project. In 2018, she successfully became a Techwomen fellow after 6 weeks training with her team winning a seed loan for their community impact project; MAAMI Nigeria. She also gave the winning pitch of Solar for healthcare in 2022 at the Nigerian Power Sector Program supported by Power Africa. She is the incumbent Treasurer of the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria. She has been with Sosai since inception and is presently the General Manager at the core of Sosai’s transformation journey with a lot of dedication and hard work. Safiya has equipped herself in the field of Renewable Energy with several trainings and is now handling the Sosai’s Matan Arewa Project where women are encouraged and trained to become entrepreneurs in the Renewable Energy Sector. She is an expert in the deployment and management of projects on improved cookstoves, solar systems and community development. She has worked with Sosai team to operationalize 5 offgrid solar minigrids, distributed over 75,000 units of improved cookstoves and 15,000 units of solar systems. Sosai is estimated to have positively impacted 1,000,000 lives through its solutions and will be doing more as the business grows.

Session Topics:

Transforming opportunities into success stories: major lessons learned
What makes a scalable and adaptable business-model

SESSION 4B

Carbon Finance

16:30

The Promise & Potential of Carbon Finance

60 min.

The Voluntary Carbon Market promises to be transformational for distributed solar markets in Africa, with some forecasting a billion dollar market by 2030. However, many challenges hamper this potential; uncertainty about the integrity of certain credits, a confusing array of methodologies and service providers, and high costs of developing projects.

The session will present the Africa Carbon Market Initiative (ACMI) Roadmap and the opportunities to boost supply and demand. It will showcase key players in the household solar, productive use, and clean cooking markets and explore the scale of the opportunity for each segment. The panel will dive into the role of digital innovation in the tech-powered carbon value chain, and explore questions around integrity, additionality, and inclusivity. We believe the time is now to unlock the potential of carbon finance for distributed solar energy in Africa.

moderator

Catherine Allinson

Future Earth

Lindsay Umala

Clean Cooking Alliance

Douglas Baguma

Innovex Uganda

Bernardo Lazo

Namene Solar

Tao Bindslev

CarbonClear

Jem Porcaro

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

Jem Porcaro

Head of Energy Access

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

Jem Porcaro is from the United States and is Head of Energy Access in the Washington, DC office. Jem has nearly 20 years of experience working at the intersection of energy, climate and development. Jem came to SEforALL from the United Nations Foundation, where he led the Foundation’s energy access program. Earlier in his career, Jem worked at Nexant, where he advised governments and multilateral development organizations in Asia on clean energy finance and policy. Before that, he co-founded a carbon management company and worked at the United Nations Development Programme, helping oversee its global energy portfolio and elevating clean energy access on the global development agenda. Jem earned his master’s degree in international energy economics and policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He also has a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Tufts University College. In his spare time, Jem enjoys traveling (especially to places with delicious food), cooking, playing tennis and spending time with family.

Session Topics:

Identify the opportunities and challenges of scaling voluntary carbon markets for DRECs (household solar, PUE, CC, minigrid) in Africa
Exploring the Roadmap for upscaling VCMs and next steps for the solar energy industry
Showcasing leading companies and initiatives

17:30

Industry Announcements

presentation

20 min.

Join us in this energizing closure of day 1, with several exciting unveilings that will impact the solar future of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Crystal Mugimba

Open Capital

Crystal Mugimba

Principal

Open Capital

Crystal is a Principal at OCA, focused on a portfolio of innovations that exist in the nexus of private and public investment to catalyze ecosystem development for energy transitions, climate finance and infrastructure. Crystal leads OCA's Electric Mobility portfolio and is currently managing the partnership with the Carbon Trust to advance an integrated approach to accelerate e-mobility deployment across Africa with the goal to meet climate ambitions, promote inclusive economic development, and improve environmental and health outcomes. She has managed multiple engagements supporting African EV businesses to evaluate business models, develop expansion strategies, design impact measurement techniques, and prepare for investment. She has led innovative mobility PPPs and plays a consultative role on some African government steering committees for electric mobility. She also has extensive experience managing complex interventions for governments specifically on fiscal policy and the broader enabling environment for energy transitions and climate. Prior to Open Capital, Crystal worked in institutional finance for both private and public sector investors in the UK and East Africa driving work on structuring and managing portfolios for pension finance in emerging markets. She holds an MSc in Sustainable Development and an MSc in Actuarial Science.

Lyndsay Holley Handler

Delta40

Emmannuel Beau

On Capital

Andreas Zeller

Open Capital

Thomas Duveau

A2EI - Access to Energy Institute

Brian Isabirye

MEMD Uganda

Duda Slawek

Open Capital

Raihan Elahi

ESMAP

Raihan Elahi

Lead Energy Specialist

ESMAP

Session Topics:

17:50

Closing Remarks

presentation

10 min.

Session Topics:

18:00

Networking Drinks & Snacks

Taking place at Infinity Pool, Speke Resort

Session Topics:

Thursday 1 June 2023

Program Day 2

08:45

Opening Remarks Day 2

30 min.

Session Topics:

SESSION 5A

Combatting Grid Problems to Safeguard Stable Electricity Supply

09:00

Grasping the Dynamic Battery & Storage Applications

panel

60 min.

Storage technologies like batteries and pumped hydro are deployed to balance the intermittent nature of solar. However, various questions still remain. How to leverage finance for storage assets? How to deal with the production costs of a storage system? Join this session for a unique insight on the booming battery & storage segment!

moderator

Troy Barrie

Ariya Finergy

Jibril Omar

OFGEN

Brendan Cronin

Soleil Power

Peter BenHur Nyeko

Mandulis Energy

Anne Gathoni

CrossBoundary Energy

Anne Gathoni

Senior Project Engineer

CrossBoundary Energy

Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Nairobi and Project Manager Professional with the Project Management Institute (PMI). Before joining CrossBoundary, she was the Asset Manager at Ariya Finergy, a leading solar EPC based in Nairobi. She oversaw an SPV asset portfolio of over 10MW, and 4.5MWh of battery storage. She led her team in Technical asset management, Operations and Maintenance of the company’s assets, and was responsible for analysing the plants’ and teams’ KPIs. As the asset manager, she also worked with the legal team on O&M contract signings and renewals. Prior to joining Ariya Finergy, Anne worked at Ofgen Africa as a Project Manager and O&M Manager. Anne is a Senior Project Engineer at CrossBoundary Energy and manages projects during the design, construction and commissioning phases, representing both the clients and CBE’s interests. She also ensures compliance with PPA and EPC contracts and collaborates with the regulatory team for the application and acquisition of project permits. She also oversees the commissioning of built projects. She is a member of CrossBoundary Energy and is based in the Nairobi Office.

Sammy Borothi

Jinko Solar

Session Topics:

How to make your energy storage projects bankable?
The contribution of energy storage in providing reliable electricity generation to promote cost-effective and clean growth
Effective management of energy storage supply chains
What are the best practices for fire protection of storage systems?

10:00

Weak Grid

panel

45 min.

Distributed solar and storage technologies combined with high-efficiency inverters and appliances are poised to transform electricity access for homes and businesses on the weak grid. Innovative solutions are emerging that offer more reliable, affordable, and cleaner power for 840 million people. This represents a $130bn climate finance opportunity that helps governments achieve climate goals.

moderator

Duda Slawek

Open Capital

Thomas Duveau

A2EI - Access to Energy Institute

Jolanda van Ginkel

IKEA Foundation

Jennifer Ifeanyi-Okoro

SunKing

Jennifer Ifeanyi-Okoro

VP Public Policy

SunKing

As Vice President - Public Policy, Jennifer Ifeanyi-Okoro leads Sun King's strategy in engaging with regulators, policy makers, and key government stakeholders to prepare for changes in the policy landscape that would impact its operations in over 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Prior to joining Sun King, Ms. Ifeanyi-Okoro began her career as Assistant General Counsel to a Siemens-owned energy consulting firm, and then headed the Legal & Regulatory Affairs departments of two Nigerian utilities in the wake of Nigeria’s electricity market reform. In 2015, she served as a Legal & Transaction Advisor to USAID’s Power Africa Transactions & Reforms Program in Nigeria before joining the international programs department of the U.S National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) as an Energy Regulation Advisor, where she worked to build energy regulatory capacity throughout Subsaharan Africa and Southeastern Europe. Ms. Ifeanyi-Okoro was also previously the Deputy Chief of Party to Power Africa's Southern Africa Energy Program, a $70M program funded by USAID. She oversaw a team of 30 energy specialists working in 11 countries in the Southern Africa region and assisted government agencies and utilities in improving energy procurement, policy, regulation, and renewable energy and energy efficiency. Subsequently, she pioneered a Technical Assistance Unit at the International Renewable Energy Agency in the UAE before joining Power Africa's Nigeria Power Sector Program to lead its support of the development and finance of utility-scale renewable energy projects.

Session Topics:

This session is based around the following points:

Distributed solar and storage technologies combined with high-efficiency inverters and appliances
Asset finance for households and enterprises on the weak grid
Investment opportunities

SESSION 5B

Subsidies Workshop

09:00

Results-Based Financing and its Impact on Access to Finance

105 min.

RBF grants in off-grid solar encourage companies to expand into difficult markets by offsetting costs or making services affordable for customers. It also helps companies access finance by reducing risks for lenders and investors. However, concerns exist regarding the sustainability of RBF and its impact on companies' sales strategies. This session aims to understand investor perspectives on RBF and use that insight to enhance its design, ultimately increasing investments in the sector. The session will cover two types of RBF: supply-side subsidies and end-user subsidies.

This session is hosted by the End User Subsidy Lab (GOGLA, ESMAP, Endev) and the RBF leadership group.

Jem Porcaro

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

Jem Porcaro

Head of Energy Access

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

Federico Hinrichs

ESMAP

Session Topics:

Convene key stakeholders (from the private and public sector) for a workshop-style discussion on the role of RBF in catalysing investments in off-grid solar
Discuss how the design of RBFs is a balancing act of public- and private-sector objectives – especially in the longer term
Discuss specific opportunities to improve the design of RBF programmes

SIDE SESSION

Matchmaking (Sign Up Required)

09:00

African-Owned Companies & Investor Networking Session

240 min.

*Sign-up is required to attend this session

This local company networking session will be building up on the virtual boardroom that took place at the GOGLA Off-grid Solar Forum in October 2022 which aimed to understand investment barriers in the off-grid solar sector towards locally owned and managed companies. The purpose of the session is for companies and investors to have candid conversations on issues and challenges faced on both sides when it comes to fundraising and come up with innovative solutions to ensure local companies can access fitting capital to foster the growth of new companies and business models to meet the demand for electricity services and appliances.

The session will consist of facilitated roundtable discussions on current roadblocks when it comes to local companies becoming investment ready and being able to access suitable finance. The roundtables will include a mix of local companies, investors, and TA providers with the aim to reach common ground and find practical solutions to some of the pressing issues.

Session Topics:

10:45

Morning Networking Break

Session Topics:

SESSION 6A

Taking Stock of the Utility and C&I Markets

11:30

Utility-Scale Solar: From Market Concept to Realized Project Development

panel

45 min.

The utility-scale solar industry in Africa has gained notable momentum in recent years, thanks to the backing of development finance institutions (DFIs) and commercial banks. Join this discussion to gain a well-rounded insight on the evolution of this market.

moderator

Pauline Cyiza

Ayuda en Acción

Juan Luis Agarrado

Robert Mubiru

Umeme

Nicholas Mukisa

National Renewable Energy Platform

Zion Okama

TotalEnergies

Session Topics:

Perception of DFIs and commercial banks
Impact of macroeconomic & geopolitical developments on the utility sector
An evolution of the market; scoping projects, what works & best lessons learned?
Practical (project development) examples of utility projects

12:15

Booming Business: The Expanding C&I Segment

panel

45 min.

This session is powered by: Starsight Premier Energy Group

moderator

Nambuya Imbega

CrossBoundary Energy

Rupesh Hindocha

Starsight Premier Energy Group

Rupesh Hindocha

CEO and Chairman

Starsight Premier Energy Group

Rupesh is the CEO of SPEG, a joint venture between Starsight Energy Africa Holdings and Premier Solar Group, focused on delivering fully financed sustainable power solutions to C&I clients across East Africa. To date, the company has delivered 29 C&I solar PV projects in Kenya, totaling over 14 MWp, with a further 3 projects, totaling over 10 MWp, currently under procurement, construction, or license applications. Rupesh is an accomplished investment banker with a 20+ year track record in emerging markets. With a strong belief in solar PV technology, an extensive network in the finance community and a deep corporate client base in Sub Sharan Africa and South Asia, Rupesh founded Premier Solar Group in 2016 to help empower C&I companies in the region in reducing their environmental impact and achieve substantial cost savings through the adoption of distributed solar PV systems. Rupesh is an adviser on Sub-Saharan Africa at Faber Capital Limited. He previously advised Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence on their expansion into the C&I solar business in Dubai. He is part of the C&I working group within ESAK, the Energy Sector Association of Kenya. Rupesh holds a BSc in Economics from University College London.

Peter Page

responsAbility

Mathew Kimolo

Sagemcom

Manish Gathani

Pan African Network

Session Topics:

What are the cost savings associated with installing a solar energy system for business owners, and how can businesses accurately calculate their return on investment (ROI)?
What are the financing options available for businesses looking to install a solar energy system and how to access them?
What are the latest technological advancements in solar energy, and how can these advancements be leveraged to enhance the performance and efficiency of C&I solar energy systems?

SESSION 6B

The Driving Forces of a Sustainable Solar Future

11:30

Unlocking Value by Investing in Women

panel

45 min.

Pursuing gender equality is a smart business decision for energy companies. There is strong evidence that having a significant proportion of women in the workforce, including in leadership positions, positively correlates with a company’s increased profitability, innovation, decision-making, resilience, and greater ability to gauge consumer needs, which can help to reach more women and improve the quality of service provided. By investing in women, the renewable energy industry can unlock additional value for consumers, businesses, and investors in Africa.

Learning from IFCs Energy2Equal (E2E) program, this session will highlight insights and good practice in closing the gender gaps in small, medium and large renewable energy companies and discuss the benefits to be gained from increased investment in women-led and inclusive businesses.

moderator

Rebecca Rhodes

GOGLA

Lucette Denoman

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Randa Mrabat

ENGIE

Marie Ephigenie

ElleSolaire

Geraldine Sande

Schneider Electric

Session Topics:

The main discussion will be organised around the following areas

Bridging the Skills Gap in the RE sector by investing in women as entrepreneurs/distributors in solar
Results from increased investment for women-led inclusive businesses
Insights and good practice from the E2E Program

12:15

An Aerial View on Africa's E-Mobility Landscape

45 min.

moderator

Warren Ondanje

African E-Mobility Alliance (AfEMA)

Crystal Mugimba

Open Capital

Crystal Mugimba

Principal

Open Capital

Jakob Hornbach

Bodawerk

Luke Barras

Mobile Power

Toukam Ngoufanke

Persistent Energy Capital

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SIDE SESSION

Matchmaking (Sign Up Required)

11:30

African-Owned Companies & Investor Networking Session

90 min.

*Sign-up is required to attend this session

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13:00

Networking Lunch

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SESSION 7A

Productive use and Off-Grid

14:15

Building an Attractive and Stable PURE Financial Space

panel

45 min.

With the development of near-to-market PURE technologies (such as Solar Water Pumps, SRUs, or hybrid inverters), significant funding is needed to go into these technologies. Whilst some PURE technologies are more mature than others, in most countries across SA and SSA, PURE remains nascent and thus there is a need for early stage equity, debt, grants and subsidies to address consumer’s affordability; alongside technical assistance.

This session will address where the market is at and pathways to ensure that productive use companies have adequate finance to bring their products to market and scale while addressing consumer’s affordability gap.

Shelmith Theuri

GreenMax Capital Advisors

Chiedza Mazaiwana

EEP Africa

Christopher Emmott

Acumen

Divya Balakrishnan

GET.invest

Michael Kuntz

Simusolar

Ayoola Dominic

Koolboks

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Elaborating on the finance and investment needs of companies in this space including grant, equity, debt and others, and evaluate current solutions available both for the companies and their customers.
Exploring challenges currently faced limiting the growth and scale up of these market ready PURE solutions, explore innovative financing schemes needed.
highlight the role of various players including investors, financial institutions, public sector and development partners should play.

15:00

Early-Stage Equity Investments in the Off-Grid Solar Market

panel

45 min.

Off-grid solar technology has consistently high satisfaction scores from consumers and is considered the most economical way of bringing access to electricity for hundreds of millions of people. Despite this, equity investments in early-stage companies are scarce and many countries and communities are being left in the dark. This session will host an intimate discussion with two companies that have bucked the trend with recent equity deals, and ask what can we learn to scale equity investments in the industry.

moderator

Sarah Bieber

Acumen

Jean-Baptiste Lenoir

Qotto

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SESSION 7B

Workshops

14:15

Local Currency Debt Financing Workshop

90 min.

Unlocking local currency debt financing has long been a strategic goal for the distributed solar markets in Africa. It would allow companies to unlock a new source of working capital and manage forex risk, whilst contributing to a more vibrant national economy. But the young sector has struggled to engage national banks, despite considerable efforts and support from development partners. This session will convene multi-lateral development banks, national banks, government stakeholders, and companies to explore the barriers to local currency debt financing and identify actions to scale-up this important investment stream.

Drew Corbyn

GOGLA

Elsbeth Koning

AfDB & SEFA

Besnik Hyseni

ESMAP

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Participants benefit as the session will:

Convene key stakeholders to explore the barriers and success factors for increasing local currency debt financing through national banks.
Raise awareness about funds and funding opportunities in the sector, including the AfDB LEAF and WB programmes.
Increase the network and knowledge of the participants.

SESSION 7C

Workshops

14:15

Scaling Electric Cooking Workshop

90 min.

This session explores the scaling of electric cooking as a realistic, sustainable, affordable and flexible solution to the global clean cooking challenge. It will draw on the experiences of a number of manufacturers, developers and financiers active in eCooking in both grid and off-grid contexts and will touch on issues of consumer preference, finance for producers/consumers/intermediaries, supply chain development, tariffs and affordability, demand enhancement, product development and marketing.

moderator

Simon Batchelor

Gamos

Justine Akumu

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development - Uganda

Peter Mwesiga

Umeme

Will Clements

Gamos

Kato Kibuka

PowerUP

Meredith Muthoni

Burn

Agnes Naluwagga

CREEC

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Provide detailed evidence from the deployment of electric cooking solutions in different contexts
provide a forum for discussing mechanisms for the accelerated scaling of electric cooking

15:45

Afternoon Networking Break

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SESSION 8A

Interactive Partner Sessions & Fireside Chats

16:45

Exploring Africa's Mini-Grid Financing Landscape

60 min.

Minigrids are infrastructure projects, which require long-term patient capital with low return expectations. To power 380 million people in Africa by 2030, the World Bank estimates that Africa needs 160,000 minigrids at a cumulative cost of more than USD 90 billion. As a result, the sector will require several different types of capital, including equity, debt, and concessional financing.

In order to end energy poverty by 2030, Africa needs 160,000 mini-grids. This session will explore the type of financing required to enable meaningful scale for the minigrid sector, and explore the existing and needed types and structures of financing to unlock scale for the minigrid sector. Additionally, the panelists will discuss the right type of enabling environment to attract additional capital for the deployment and implementation of minigrids in Africa.

moderator

Grace Perkins

AMDA - Africa Minigrid Developers Association

Dario Fallara

Equatorial Power

Idris Tayebi

NEoT Capital

Olugbenga Ajala

Ashipa Electric

Olugbenga Ajala

Founder & CEO

Ashipa Electric

Olu is the founder and CEO of Ashipa Electric, a Techstars-backed energy company that develops microgrid solutions primarily to energize economic activities in underserved communities across the globe. Prior to Ashipa Electric, Olu worked at the Research and Development organization at Southern Company, a leading US energy company. While there, he was responsible for developing and managing a variety of projects within the renewables, storage, and distributed generation program area. These include a portfolio of projects ranging from photovoltaic solar and wind energy systems to battery energy storage and microgrids. He also worked at Southern Power where he implemented the PPA for 280MW of solar power projects as well as managed the financial, contractual, and commercial operation activities for solar and wind projects with an estimated annual revenue of $90 million. Before transitioning to the electric power sector, he worked as an electrical engineer in oil and gas refining and gas exploration businesses within ExxonMobil and Chevron. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He is also a registered professional engineer in the State of Alabama.

Nickson Bukachi

EPRA

Nickson Bukachi

Sr Renewable Energy Specialist

EPRA

Eng. Bukachi is a Senior Renewable Energy Specialist at Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority. He has eight (8) years’ experience in the mini-grids sector having been involved in mini-grid design, policy formulation and regulation, and performance monitoring. Bukachi was part of the team that developed Kenya’s licensing guidelines for mini-grids in Kenya, draft mini-grid regulations in 2018, mini-grid tariff model and the reporting framework for mini-grid developers. He has conducted feasibility studies and environmental and social impact assessments for mini-grids in Kenya and is a certified Trainer of Trainers by Micro-Grid Academy - RES4Africa Foundation. Currently, he is a member of the mini-grid licensing committee at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority. In addition, he was the project manager for a Green Mini-grid (GMG) funded project that developed the Energy (Mini-grid) Regulations, 2022 for Kenya. Other expertise includes development of renewable energy projects, policy and regulations formulation, energy auditing, undertaking feasibility studies for energy project, leading energy sector wide studies.

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SESSION 8B

Workshops

16:45

Falling Forward: SDG-7 Productive Failures Workshop

60 min.

Failure is an invaluable part of learning. No idea arrives fully formed; any meaningful success is the result of experiments, failures, and undeterred iteration. Yet in the energy access sector, the competitive pressures of fundraising and demonstrating impact can push useful lessons belowground. If we do not find a way to collectively process the lessons from failures and build upon them, then we risk becoming a paradox of a sector: full of omnipresent success and ever-worsening problems.

Dan Waldron

Acumen

Ronan Ferguson

Clean Cooking Alliance

Lyndsay Holley Handler

Delta40

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This session aims to shift that dynamic by bringing together organizations, researchers, and entrepreneurs who have intentionally examined failures (both their own and others’) to achieve two main objectives:

Share critical lessons that various participants have learned from products, programs, and investments that did not meet their desired objectives
Offer space and time to discuss and build on those failures, then share back lessons with the wider group.

17:45

Closing Words Unlocking Solar Capital Africa 2023

15 min.

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18:00

Networking Drinks & Snacks

Taking place at the Exhibition and Catering Area

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