Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
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Africa’s Big Switch is a podcast that aims to identify current and future solutions to complex problems on the African continent. Examples of such problems include: Climate Change, Homelessness, Poverty, Political Instability, Famine, Floods etc.Our first season sheds light and sparks conversation around the future of energy in Africa.Why Energy?Modern society depends on reliable and affordable energy services to function smoothly and to develop equitably. A well-established energy system supports all sectors from medicine and education to agriculture, infrastructure, communications and high-technology. However, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), there are over 770 million people in the world today without access to electricity, 77% of which are in Sub-saharan Africa. The Sustainable Development Goal 7 of the UN Agenda, aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. Given we are only a few years to 2030, we explore the progress, challenges and opportunities for achieving this goal across
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Send us a text Using 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-Alli Co-hosted by Demilade Adeyemi and Daniel Ogbonna Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn
Send us a text On 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-...
Send us a text We 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 g...
Send us a text Did 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 i...
Send us a text 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 among...
Send us a text 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...
Send us a text 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 a...
Send us a text 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 ...
Send us a text 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. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn
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Send us a text 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...
Send us a text 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...
Send us a text 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 r...
Send us a text 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...
Send us a text 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 i...
Send us a text 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-effi...
1Send us a text 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 Com...
Send us a text 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...
Send us a text 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 Demo...
Send us a text 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 Youn...
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