The EEP Africa Project of the Year Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an EEP Africa portfolio company during the past year.
A large number of nominations were received this year, making the award highly competitive. We are pleased to announce that the finalists for 2020 Project of the Year are:
Gigawatt Global for a grid-connected 7.5 MW solar PV plant in Burundi.
Jaza Energy for scaling-up a network of solar energy hubs in Tanzania.
Tiny Totos for a pilot project to increase access to clean energy financing and products in Kenya.
Yellow Solar Power for scaling-up a women’s digital inclusion through a SHS sales network in Malawi.
Zonful Energy for scaling-up a PAYG solar company in Zimbabwe.
The finalists will present their project before an international panel of judges (see below) and the winner will be announced on 19 November during the closing session of the EEP Africa Knowledge Week.
Jury Panel:
Aleksi Lumijärvi, Program Manager, Nordic Development Fund, has more than 20 years of global experience in clean energy and climate finance. As a consultant, financial advisor and fund manager, he has participated in tens of transactions – including venture capital and private equity, various loan and leasing structures, corporate and project finance – in developed and developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. In addition to a private sector background, he has worked in international organisations, such as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and as a consultant has advised several governments in the design and implementation of policies to promote investments in the energy transition.
Michael Kiza, Programme Management Expert, EACREEE, designs and implements programmes in policy formulation, capacity building and investment promotions on renewable energy and energy efficiency. He has previously worked as a Programme Officer at the International Atomic Energy Agency, developing national technical cooperation projects, and as a Senior Energy Officer at Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. He has also served in various capacities in the private sector, where he was instrumental in promoting industrial energy efficiency.
Jeffrey Prins, Head of Portfolio Renewable Energy, IKEA Foundation, focuses on renewable energy as a means to alleviate poverty and fight climate change. He previously worked at DOEN Foundation for over 11 years, funding, amongst other things, various renewable energy start-ups in India and East Africa. Prior to that he worked in politics for various politicians in the Dutch and European Parliament, and also served as a City Council Member in Amsterdam. He is keen to push the agenda of energy access as a means to alleviate poverty. And takes a clear interest in the Circular Economy theme, particularly via the design protocol Cradle to Cradle.
Nishdeep Sethi, Acting Group Head of Structured Finance, African Guarantee Fund, has 15 years of professional experience in the financial industry in Africa. Born and raised in Kenya, she began her career at Standard Chartered Bank Kenya, where she spearheaded numerous projects in the financial markets department and became a leader in product development and change management. In 2019 she joined AGF, where she currently heads the structured finance department. She also heads the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA).