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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 su ...
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E31: Angel Investing with Innovate Africa Fund
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Send us a text 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 Fun…
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E30 Sierra Leone's Path to Digital Learning and Education Reform
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Modupe Poku. Modupe currently works for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as the Education Advisor to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education focusing specifically on digital learning. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change partners with political leaders to drive mea…
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E29 Navigating Corporate Finance and Venture Capital in Emerging Markets
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Toni Sanni, Head Corporate Finance and Venture Capital at the Emerging Africa Group. The Emerging Africa Group is an ESG-focused organization that partners with investors to bridge Africa's financial gap and support sustainable development. With over $1 billion raised, it offers financing and …
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E28 Unleashing Potential: How Opportunity International Empowers Farmers
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Richard Chongo, the Country Director of Opportunity International Malawai. Opportunity International is a global network of over 40 organizations, primarily microfinance institutions, helping millions of families in over 20 countries across Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America to li…
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ABS E27 Agrify: Improving Yield & Carbon Income for Farmers
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Delz Erinle, the Founder and Product Lead of Agrify. Agrify focuses on decarbonizing the agricultural value chain through regenerative intelligence and carbon microfinance, aiming to improve farmer resilience and farmer incomes. Delz is an innovator with expertise in Economics and Product Desi…
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ABS E26 Unlocking Capital: Liquify's Mission to Finance African SMEs
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sit down with Alberta Asafo-Asamoah, the Co-Founder of Liquify, an invoice financing platform connecting African SME's to global capital markets. Alberta started in corporate banking in Europe before moving to impact investing and entrepreneurship. In 2018, she founded AlgebraInTheCity, an educational suppo…
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ABS E25 PLTFM: Connecting the Diaspora to African Investment
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sit down with Joe Kinvi, the Founder of PLTFM, a multi-asset investment platform for Africa and Africans in the Diaspora. He also leads HoaQ, an investor community with over 100 investments across Africa and its Diaspora. Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Joe was an experienced operator with …
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ABS E24 From Marginalisation to Empowerment: EDF's Commitment to Education and Problem Solving
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sit down with Abiola Adebiyi, the Founder of Elevate Development Foundation (EDF). EDF is a youth-led NGO focused on educating, enlightening, and empowering vulnerable Nigerians in underserved communities. Abiola, a forensic accountant with a master's degree in sustainable development from the University of…
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ABS E23 LISA: Increasing Access to Education for the Underprivileged in Lagos
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Send us a text On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Dammy Feyide, the Founder of Theo by LISA, a digital learning solution for children in public primary schools and remote areas. Dammy is also the Team Lead of Strategic Partnerships & Business Development at ProvidusBank, the Founder & CEO of Let it Shine Academy, and the Proprietress & Execut…
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Send us a text 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…
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ABS E22 Sawa Energy: Providing C&I Solar Solutions to Rwandan Businesses
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Send us a text 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…
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ABS E21: Understanding the Effect of Fuel Subsidy Removal in Nigeria
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Send us a text 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 impr…
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ABS E20 Funnelling Investments into the African Energy Sector
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Send us a text On this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kelly-Ann Mealia, Chairperson and Co-Founder of Energy Capital & Power. Kelly-Ann brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in facilitating financial investments in Africa, shedding light on the significant impact these gatherings have on promoting investment and forging strateg…
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ABS E19 Uwana Energy: Creating an Online Solar Marketplace
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Send us a text 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 an…
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ABS E18 The Electricity Market in Nigeria: A Legal Perspective
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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 …
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ABS E17: Providing Auxiliary Services to Oil and Gas Companies in Ghana
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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 f…
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ABS E16: Sustainable Development in Burundi
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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 wor…
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Send 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 …
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ABS E14: Empowering Communities in Malawi for a Sustainable Future
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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 st…
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ABS E13 Sustainable & Impact Investing in Nigeria
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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 invest…
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ABS E12 Arone: Manufacturing Batteries to Power Middle-income Households
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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…
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ABS E11 Vula: Helping African Startups Raise Funding
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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 lea…
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ABS E10: Building an Educational Botanical Garden
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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 Ni…
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ABS E9: Powering Health Centres in Africa
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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 count…
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Send us a text Follow us on Instagram and LinkedInBy Bolaji Akinola-Alli
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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 N…
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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 i…
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ABS E7: Does Nuclear Have a Role to Play in the Energy Transition?
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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…
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ABS E6: Demystifying the Nuclear Industry in Africa
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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 h…
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ABS E5: Does Oil & Gas Have a Role to Play in Africa’s Future?
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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…
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ABS E4: The Largely Unspoken Truths About Clean Cooking
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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 un…
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ABS E3: Financing Rural Electrification in Africa
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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 energ…
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ABS E1: Electrifying Rural Communities in Nigeria
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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 …
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ABS E2: Lessons Learnt from India's Approach to Rural Electrification
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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…
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