Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
Bolaji Akinola-Alli
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Top 10 Africa's Big Switch (ABS) Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Africa's Big Switch (ABS) episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Africa's Big Switch (ABS) for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Africa's Big Switch (ABS) episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
ABS E22 Sawa Energy: Providing C&I Solar Solutions to Rwandan Businesses
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
11/08/23 • 39 min
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 clients.
Starting his career as a technical sales manager, Eder has since transitioned to be the Country Manager of Sawa Energy.
We cover the following themes on this episode:
- Understanding Sawa Energy's business model, its customer offerings and unique value proposition.
- The challenges faced by small and medium businesses in accessing affordable and reliable electricity in Rwanda.
- How Sawa Energy's solutions are addressing these challenges and making a positive impact.
- The future goals and expansion plans of Sawa Energy in the region.
Enjoy!
ABS E19 Uwana Energy: Creating an Online Solar Marketplace
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
09/27/23 • 43 min
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 funding for energy transition projects globally and has executed award-winning development initiatives with Access Bank Plc and PwC Nigeria.
We cover the following topics on this episode:
- An insight into Uwana Energy's pivot away from the provision of hardware products to the creation of an online solar marketplace.
- The need to understand the nuances in doing business across multiple parts of Nigeria e.g. the need for a physical office space.
- The realities of being an entrepreneur including the need to constantly learn new skills network and raise funding.
Have a listen!
Bonus: Sit Down with Your Hosts 2.0
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
12/06/23 • 51 min
On 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.
ABS E12 Arone: Manufacturing Batteries to Power Middle-income Households
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
05/17/23 • 43 min
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 economies.
Emmanuel’s work has been recognized and published nationally & internationally by the likes of Total Energies, Oxford Business Group (UK) & BusinessDay.
The key themes we explore on this episode include:
- The challenges of building a battery assembly plant in Nigeria.
- Emmanuel's unfortunate encounter with a fraudster
- Arone's innovative battery solution
- The opportunities for solar cell manufacturing in Africa
Have a listen!
*As at the time this episode was recorded, Arone was looking to raise startup funding. Please reach out to Emmanuel for further enquiries on this.
ABS E21: Understanding the Effect of Fuel Subsidy Removal in Nigeria
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
10/25/23 • 36 min
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 subsidy.
- The impact of fuel subsidy removal to the government's budget and the unwanted domino effects to the cost of living of Nigerians.
- Noelle's opinion on the approach to fuel subsidy removal and the need for improved budget planning and transparency.
- Potential solutions such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in transportation and the need for significant government infrastructure investment and policy, to attract investors.
Have a listen!
ABS E14: Empowering Communities in Malawi for a Sustainable Future
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
06/14/23 • 39 min
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, tree-planting and forest conservation, running and assisting eight pre-schools, supporting a community library, a disabilities and rehabilitation project and sexual health project, and more.
With over ten years of experience working at Ripple Africa, Pam shares her experience on what it takes to successfully manage a charity in Malawi.
The key themes we explore on this episode include:
- The environmental challenges facing rural communities in Malawi.
- How to roll out solutions and gain the buy-in from local communities and organisations.
- Are charities a sustainable form of assistance to local communities?
- How is Ripple Africa improving the lives of Malawians?
Have a listen!
ABS E13 Sustainable & Impact Investing in Nigeria
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
05/31/23 • 55 min
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 Nigeria
The key themes we explore on this episode include:
- The challenges of financing infrastructure such as inflation.
- Where does the money come from?
- How is NSIA leveraging climate finance for its projects?
- Why you should get into the ESG space in Africa.
Have a listen!
*please find attached a copy of the NSIA Development Impact Report 2021
ABS E11 Vula: Helping African Startups Raise Funding
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
05/03/23 • 43 min
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 that entrepreneurs can use to secure funding for their business.
- Nic's experience with Entrepreneur First and finding a co-founder.
- Vula's integrated software solution using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Have a listen!
ABS E10: Building an Educational Botanical Garden
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
04/19/23 • 30 min
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, Adamawa state.
The key themes we explore on this episode include:
- Environmentalism - why should you care?
- The dangers of deforestation on culture and identity.
- What are the challenges of running a social enterprise in a conflict-prone region in sub-saharan Africa.
- How do you differentiate between what people want and what they need.
Have a listen!
E31: Angel Investing with Innovate Africa Fund
Africa's Big Switch (ABS)
10/24/24 • 40 min
On 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 management consulting experience in technology strategy, product development, and business planning, Kristin specialises in enabling organisations to develop infrastructure and processes to leverage technology and data for business scalability and profitability. Her expertise spans stakeholder engagement, operational enhancement, and digital transformation.
As a seasoned digital work expert, writer, speaker, and thought leader, Kristin has built a successful career helping startups and small businesses thrive in emerging markets. Her background in data analytics, operations research and project management has equipped her to drive innovation and growth for ambitious founders.
She maintains a robust and active angel investment portfolio, and is also the Chief Strategy Officer at Spurt! Kristin serves as LP Advisor at Oui Capital and Investment Lead for the Rising Tide Africa Angel Network. She is also a Harris Fellow
On this episode, we explore:
- Kristen's journey and her role
- The drive behind Innovate Africa Fund
- Future of Innovate Africa Fund
- How to get involved
Join us as we delve into Kristen's remarkable journey and her impact on Africa's investment sector on Africa’s Big Switch
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FAQ
How many episodes does Africa's Big Switch (ABS) have?
Africa's Big Switch (ABS) currently has 34 episodes available.
What topics does Africa's Big Switch (ABS) cover?
The podcast is about Entrepreneurship, Investing, Energy, Podcasts, Finance, Business, Energy Transition and Africa.
What is the most popular episode on Africa's Big Switch (ABS)?
The episode title 'ABS E22 Sawa Energy: Providing C&I Solar Solutions to Rwandan Businesses' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Africa's Big Switch (ABS)?
The average episode length on Africa's Big Switch (ABS) is 41 minutes.
How often are episodes of Africa's Big Switch (ABS) released?
Episodes of Africa's Big Switch (ABS) are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Africa's Big Switch (ABS)?
The first episode of Africa's Big Switch (ABS) was released on Apr 18, 2022.
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