31 May - 1 Jun 2023
Kampala
31 May - 1 Jun 2023
Kampala
Registration is also open on May 30th from 14:00 - 17:00
Koen Peters
GOGLA
Manoela Hartung
Solarplaza
Ruth Nankabirwa
MEMD Uganda
Mukami Kariuki
The World Bank
SESSION 1
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:
Raihan Elahi
ESMAP
Sarah Bieber
Acumen
Joao Cunha
African Development Bank
Irene Bateebe
MEMD Uganda
Maya Stewart
Yellow
Faran Rana
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Morning Networking Break
SESSION 2A
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
Angela Muraguri
KawiSafi
Sanjeev Debipersad
AECF
Michael Franz
GET.invest
Chloe Koburunga
Triple Jump
Lorraine Indangasi
Charm Impact
Key topics in this debate are:
SESSION 2B
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.
Kat Harrison
60 Decibels
Steven Fleurus
ENGIE
Oscar Ankunda
Power Africa
Sarah Alexander
SNV
Tafi Chikwakwata
Clamore Solar
Networking Lunch
SESSION 3A
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.
Russel Lyseight
Global Distributors Collective
Chanel Gisage
Sparkmeter
Edgar Wavomba
SunCulture
Jenny Fletcher
Ariya Finergy
Andi Kleissner
Amped
Alexandre Tourre
Easy Solar
SESSION 3B
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
David Otieno
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Kristina Skierka
PowerforAll
Anthony Osijo
Bboxx
Sylla Elhadji
ECOWAS Commission
Giuseppe Gregu
REEEP
Paul Byamugisha
Ministry of Infrastructure – Rwanda
Afternoon Networking Break
SESSION 4A
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.
Joyce Nkuyahaga
RTI International
Denis Karema
SokoFresh
Nick Imudia
d.light
Stella Lunkuse
SolarNation
Paul Kamoga
Aptech Africa
Safiya Aliyu
Sosai
SESSION 4B
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.
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)
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
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
Networking Drinks & Snacks
Taking place at Infinity Pool, Speke Resort
SESSION 5A
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!
Troy Barrie
Ariya Finergy
Jibril Omar
OFGEN
Brendan Cronin
Soleil Power
Peter BenHur Nyeko
Mandulis Energy
Anne Gathoni
CrossBoundary Energy
Sammy Borothi
Jinko Solar
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.
Duda Slawek
Open Capital
Thomas Duveau
A2EI - Access to Energy Institute
Jolanda van Ginkel
Ikea Foundation
Jennifer Ifeanyi-Okoro
SunKing
This session is based around the following points:
SESSION 5B
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)
Federico Hinrichs
ESMAP
SIDE SESSION
*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.
Morning Networking Break
SESSION 6A
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.
Pauline Cyiza
Ayuda en Acción
Juan Luis Agarrado
3E
Robert Mubiru
Umeme
Nicholas Mukisa
National Renewable Energy Platform
Zion Okama
TotalEnergies
This session is powered by: Starsight Premier Energy Group
Nambuya Imbega
CrossBoundary Energy
Rupesh Hindocha
Starsight Premier Energy Group
Peter Page
responsAbility
Mathew Kimolo
Sagemcom
Manish Gathani
Pan African Network
SESSION 6B
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.
Rebecca Rhodes
GOGLA
Lucette Denoman
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Randa Mrabat
ENGIE
Marie Ephigenie
ElleSolaire
Geraldine Sande
Schneider Electric
The main discussion will be organised around the following areas
Warren Ondanje
African E-Mobility Alliance (AfEMA)
Crystal Mugimba
Open Capital
Jakob Hornbach
Bodawerk
Luke Barras
Mobile Power
Toukam Ngoufanke
Persistent Energy Capital
SIDE SESSION
*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.
Networking Lunch
SESSION 7A
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
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.
Sarah Bieber
Acumen
Jean-Baptiste Lenoir
Qotto
SESSION 7B
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
Participants benefit as the session will:
SESSION 7C
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.
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
Afternoon Networking Break
SESSION 8A
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.
Grace Perkins
AMDA - Africa Minigrid Developers Association
Dario Fallara
Equatorial Power
Idris Tayebi
NEoT Capital
Olugbenga Ajala
Ashipa Electric
Nickson Bukachi
EPRA
SESSION 8B
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
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:
Networking Drinks & Snacks
Taking place at the Exhibition and Catering Area
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For questions about the program and content of the event:
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