The Energy Talk - Storytellers of Africa's Energy Transition

Arnergy and Auxano Solar have raised a combined total of $10.5 million in funding to build renewable businesses. In this episode, we speak to the founders of the 2 companies to understand the unique challenges of building and scaling renewable energy businesses in Africa.

Femi Adeyemo is the Founder and CEO of Arnergy, in June 2019 the company raised $9M in Series A Funding - Led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Norfund, All On, Electrification Financing Initiative.

Chuks Umezulora is the Co-founder and COO of Auxano Solar, in September 2020 the company raised $1.5M in Seed Funding led by All On.

Recommended Reading

• Arnergy Closes $9 million Series A Round
• Why Investors are betting $1.5m on this Nigeria-based solar panel producer
• Bill Gates Is Betting On These Cleantech Outfits To Help Save The Planet

Learn more about Arnergy | Auxano Solar

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The Energy Talk is a platform dedicated to telling the energy transition story of Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing first on the perspective of Financiers, Policymakers, and Operators devoted to pushing the continent towards a sustainable energy future.

This podcast is hosted by Olubunmi Olajide and produced by Chigozie Ubah.

In the fourth episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Rachita Misra - Associate Director of Knowledge and Advocacy with SELCO Foundation in India, and Heather Adair-Rohani - Acting Head of Air Quality, Energy and Health at the World Health Organization (WHO) to discuss the energy and health nexus. Focusing first on ways to bridge the gap between grassroots solutions and high-level policy.

This series is hosted by Marilyn Smith of the Energy Action Project (EnAct)

Guest Bios:

Rachita Misra is the Associate Director of Knowledge and Advocacy with SELCO Foundation in India.

Heather Adair-Rohani leads the work on energy and health at the World Health Organization Headquarters. She has led the establishment of the Health and Energy Platform of Action and the High-level Coalition on Health and Energy. Ms. Adair-Rohani co-led the coordination and development of the WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: household fuel combustion and is currently overseeing the work to support countries in the implementation of these Guidelines through the Clean Household Energy Solutions Toolkit. She also actively participates and represents WHO at various global initiatives focused on health, air pollution, and energy like UN-Energy, Sustainable Energy for All, Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators, and the Global Strategy for Women, Children, and Adolescent Health.

Learn more about SELCO Foundation | WHO | EnAct | Global SDG7 Hubs

Connect on LinkedIn: Marilyn | The Energy Talk | Global SDG7 Hubs | EnAct
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The Energy Talk is a platform dedicated to telling the energy transition story of Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing first on the perspective of Financiers, Policymakers, and Operators devoted to pushing the continent towards a sustainable energy future.

This podcast is hosted by Olubunmi Olajide and produced by Chigozie Ubah.

Nico joins us this week to share from his two decades of experience deploying Decentralized Renewable Energy projects, consulting governments on off-grid electrification policy, and what the emerging trends mean for financiers looking into Sub-Saharan Africa.

This episode has already been published on "The Mini-Grid Business" podcast hosted by Nico. You can listen to an exclusive part 2 linked here.

Guest Bio:

Nico is the CEO, and co-founder of Inensus - a consultancy with over 15 years of experience supporting Decentralized Renewable Energy projects and policy in Africa and Asia. He holds a degree in Power Systems Engineering from Clausthal University of Technology, Germany.

Nico has more than 16 years of professional experience in the mini-grid sector, advising development banks, governments, and investors on setting up rural electrification programs. He co-developed the award-winning MicroPowerEconomy business and risk management model for solar mini-grid electrification and the rural industrialization concept The KeyMaker Model. Nico is a juror for the German Innovation Award for Climate and Environment and a lead juror for the European Business Awards for the Environment. He is based in Goslar and speaks German and English.

Learn more about Inensus

Connect with Nico

For feedback and inquiries please reach out to the podcast team: [email protected]

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The Energy Talk is a platform dedicated to telling the energy transition story of Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing first on the perspective of Financiers, Policymakers, and Operators devoted to pushing the continent towards a sustainable energy future.

This podcast is hosted by Olubunmi Olajide and produced by Chigozie Ubah.

Odyssey's mission is to accelerate the clean energy transition in emerging markets. The Odyssey platform connects financiers, solar companies and equipment suppliers in one place to facilitate transactions, streamline processes and scale investment into distributed renewable energy. Financiers use Odyssey to source and manage deals, solar companies can access financing, equipment procurement and monitoring tools, and equipment suppliers use Odyssey to find new customers and streamline their sales process.

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• Results-based financing at scale: How Odyssey's remote verification feature speeds up payments for renewable energy companies
• Five things you should know about Nigerian exchange rate unification

Guest Bio:

Justin Tinsey is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the renewable energy sector, specializing in solar and storage solutions across various markets. Currently serving as Head of Procurement at Odyssey Energy Solutions, Justin has also held key roles such as Partner at Greentech Power Solutions and CEO of Solarquick, where he demonstrated exceptional leadership and business development skills. With a background in interdisciplinary studies from Michigan State University and a Master's degree in Global Development Policy from Boston University, Justin combines academic excellence with practical expertise. Justin is also certified in energy storage and photovoltaics, reflecting his commitment to staying at the forefront of industry advancements, especially within the most underserved geographies.

Learn more about Odyssey Energy Solutions

Connect with Justin Tinsey

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The Energy Talk is a platform dedicated to telling the energy transition story of Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing first on the perspective of Financiers, Policymakers, and Operators devoted to pushing the continent towards a sustainable energy future.

This podcast is hosted by Olubunmi Olajide and produced by Chigozie Ubah.

GridCrux is a technology and power infrastrucure company that develops, engineers, finances and deploys alternative energy solutions to the unserved and underserved segments of the African continent. The company's solutions leverage existing technology, primarily multiple energy management systems, as a means of delivering optimized energy solutions and carbon reduction imperatives with a fine blend of innovative financing solutions as a catalyst for rapid acceleration of energy access across Africa.

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• GC Watt simplifies energy management for homes, businesses
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Guest Bio:

Mojola Ola is a proven energy professional with over a decade of leading energy infrastructure projects across West Africa. Mojola’s expertise cuts across energy management, energy efficiency, alternative energy systems, grid optimization, and automation solutions while having developed a credible track record in sales and business development to deliver organizational growth.

Previous roles include ABB, Foster Wheeler Energy, and most recently Director of Marketing, Business Development and Access to Energy at Schneider Electric covering Anglophone West Africa. Mojola has a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Loughborough University and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Learn more about GridCrux

Connect with Mojola Ola

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The Energy Talk is a platform dedicated to telling the energy transition story of Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing first on the perspective of Financiers, Policymakers, and Operators devoted to pushing the continent towards a sustainable energy future.

This podcast is hosted by Olubunmi Olajide and produced by Chigozie Ubah.