The Project of the Year award recognises outstanding achievement and innovation by an EEP Africa portfolio company during the past year.
After an internal nomination process, four companies currently or recently in the EEP Africa portfolio were invited to pitch to a panel of judges for the 2023 Project of the Year award. Nominees were asked to demonstrate significant and verifiable achievement during the past year in terms of innovation, delivery, impact and/or fundraising.
The finalists for 2023 Project of the Year are:
Baridi (Tree_Sea.mals) is a local, women-led company that provides solar powered refrigeration solutions for off-grid meat markets in East-Africa.
Green Impact Technologies is a local start-up that is developing innovative deployment mechanisms for clean energy technologies in Malawi, with a focus on marginalised communities.
Hanny G Investments is a local, women-led start-up in Tanzania that produces eco-friendly and cost-saving cooking and fuel solutions for schools, restaurants and small businesses.
SokoFresh is a social enterprise that offers cold storage solutions and a market linkage to small and medium-scale farmers in Kenya.
On 30 January the finalists pitched projects before an international jury panel (see below). Thank you to the jury and to the companies who presented their 2023 achievements. Read more about our past winners and tune in on 7 February for the announcement of our winners during the EEP Africa Call for Proposals session during EEP Africa Knowledge Week.
2024 Award Jury Panel:
Ada Marmion, Director of Partnership, Knowledge and Impact, AECF: Ada has been leading AECF’s partnership, Knowledge and Impact teams since September 2022, operating from its Nairobi headquarters. Ada is an experienced team leader with 14 years’ experience in renewable energy, climate change and inclusive finance, innovation design, business advisory, fund raising, strategic partnership development and portfolio development in sub-Saharan Africa and Europe in both for-profit and the development sector. A French national, Ada studied and worked in Italy, the UK, US and Kenya, and has worked extensively in East and West Africa since 2012.Prior to joining AECF, Ada lead the circular economy and the just transition portfolios of EIT Climate-KIC, the largest European public private partnership investing in climate innovation in Europe. She is a registered member of the African Circular Economy Network.
Daphne Pit, Deputy Manager, GET.invest: Daphne worked as an investor, business mentor, project developer and consultant in the renewable energy sector and cookstoves sector in Africa and Asia. Over the last years, she has worked on assignments for investors such as ElectriFI, Lendahand, SIMA Fund, Nefco, TCX, and sector organisations and accelerators such as GOGLA, CCA, RVO, GSBI/Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Rockstart Smart Energy. Her focus has been on renewable energy and energy access. Her work has also been in other sectors such as sustainable value chains, true pricing and clean drinking water. Daphne is the Deputy Manager of the GET.invest Finance Catalyst team, and operates out of Amsterdam, the Netherlands .
Jacob Lorentzen, Program Officer, Nordic Development Fund (NDF): Jacob is a Program Officer at the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) where he manages the Nordic Climate Facility that provides grant financing to innovative climate change projects in the Global South. Prior to NDF Mr. Lorentzen has worked at two UN-mandated research institutions, UNEP-CCC and UNU-WIDER, where he has delivered various projects in the nexus of climate change and development.
Nyamolo Abagi, Senior Program Manager, CLASP: Nya is a seasoned professional with over a decade of expertise at the nexus of energy access and sustainable development. She leads the Efficiency for Access (EforA) Program, a global coalition that promotes the adoption of energy-efficient appliances to elevate livelihoods, curtail carbon emissions, and propel sustainable progress. Nya’s strategic prowess shines through her collaborations with international stakeholders, demonstrated across her tenure at esteemed organizations like Fenix International, the United Nations, and Mini-grid company RVE.Sol. Her engagement spans both governmental and private sectors, affirming her influence in shaping the clean energy landscape through innovative approaches that overcome market barriers.