AFRICA SUSTAINABLE FUTURES AWARDS SHORTLISTS
Access to Energy
Bangweulu
The Bangweulu Power Plant is helping diversify Zambia’s electricity supply by providing large-scale solar generation to reduce dependence on hydropower and costly diesel generation. As the country’s first utility-scale solar photovoltaic plant under the World Bank’s Scaling Solar programme, the 54MW facility delivers around 87GWh of clean electricity annually under a 25-year power purchase agreement with ZESCO. The project supplies reliable power to approximately 82,500 households and businesses while demonstrating a competitive procurement model that has since been replicated elsewhere. Bangweulu combines affordable renewable energy with local skills development, job creation and a proven framework for future solar investment across the region.
CrossBoundary Energy
CrossBoundary Energy is demonstrating that renewable energy can power heavy industry through one of Africa’s first solar and battery baseload projects. Developed for the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the project combines 233MWp of solar generation with 526MWh of battery storage to deliver 30MW of guaranteed, dispatchable renewable power around the clock. Financed under a long-term power purchase agreement, it enables the mine to access reliable low-carbon electricity without upfront investment. The project is expected to reduce diesel consumption, cut emissions, create thousands of jobs and provide a blueprint for industrial decarbonisation across Africa.
Lean Energy
Lean Energy Solutions is helping manufacturers across East Africa decarbonise by replacing fossil-fuel boilers with biomass-powered steam supplied through an innovative Build-Own-Operate model. Rather than investing in energy infrastructure, industrial customers simply pay for the steam they consume, while Lean Energy finances, owns and operates the systems using agricultural waste as fuel. The company has deployed more than 80–90 tonnes per hour of steam capacity across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, avoiding an estimated 350,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and delivering energy cost savings of 25–30 per cent. Its circular economy model strengthens local biomass supply chains while making industrial decarbonisation commercially viable.
M'Balik
M'Balik is expanding access to clean, off-grid electricity in Madagascar by combining solar home systems with the nationwide reach of Yas Madagascar’s mobile network and MVola mobile money platform. Its pay-as-you-go model removes the barrier of upfront cost, enabling households to purchase solar lighting and home systems through affordable instalments. In 2025 alone, more than 105,000 households gained first-time access to solar electricity, benefiting an estimated 470,000 people. By integrating energy access with digital financial services, M'Balik reduces dependence on kerosene, improves health and productivity, and demonstrates how telecommunications infrastructure can accelerate clean energy adoption at scale.
Salpha Energy
Salpha Energy is building a locally rooted clean energy ecosystem in Nigeria by combining solar product assembly, consumer finance and nationwide distribution. Its product range, from small solar lighting systems to larger home and business solutions, is supported by loan-to-own financing through microfinance partners, making clean energy affordable without exposing the company to consumer credit risk. Salpha has deployed more than 469,000 solar products, reaching over 2mn people while creating local manufacturing skills and green jobs. By integrating local assembly, aftersales support and financing, the company is strengthening Nigeria’s renewable energy value chain and expanding reliable electricity access.
Critical Infrastructure (non-Energy)
eShandi
eShandi is expanding financial inclusion across Africa through a digital financial infrastructure platform that combines AI-driven credit scoring, embedded finance and mobile-first delivery. Serving more than 1.5mn customers and over 100,000 SMEs, it enables underserved individuals and businesses to access responsible credit without traditional banking histories by using alternative data and machine learning. Integrated with mobile money, payroll systems and USSD, the platform has mobilised more than US$12.4mn in third-party capital while maintaining commercial viability. Ranked among the FT Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies, Eshandi demonstrates how fintech can unlock economic opportunity at scale.
Heirs Insurance
Heirs Insurance Group is redefining insurance as digital protection infrastructure to expand financial inclusion in Nigeria. Combining a USSD platform, the SimpleLife app and Prince AI, Nigeria’s first multilingual generative AI insurance assistant, it enables affordable insurance access for underserved and low-income communities in multiple local languages. The group has reached more than 3mn people while building trust through rapid claims settlement, including a commitment to pay validated claims within 48 hours. By embedding insurance into digital and bancassurance channels, Heirs is increasing insurance penetration and creating a scalable, digitally native model for inclusive financial resilience.
Infraconnect
Infraconnect 15 and Infraconnect 18 are pioneering Kenya’s Roads Annuity Public-Private Partnership model, combining finance, design, construction and long-term maintenance under a single performance-based contract. The projects have upgraded and continue to maintain more than 80km of strategic roads across Central and Western Kenya, improving connectivity, safety and access to markets, schools and healthcare. Mobilising more than US$200mn in private investment, they demonstrate how lifecycle infrastructure management can deliver sustainable public assets while reducing pressure on government budgets. The model provides a proven blueprint for replicable road infrastructure investment across Africa.
Rigo Inc
Rigo Incorporated is strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system by combining healthcare-specific financing with digital technology. Its platform provides working capital, equipment finance, supply-chain finance and receivables financing for hospitals, pharmacies and medical suppliers while digitising claims management and payment processes. By using healthcare transaction data for underwriting, Rigo reduces lending risk and improves providers’ access to capital, helping expand healthcare capacity and improve patient access. The company has also mobilised significant investment into the sector through blended finance and strategic partnerships, creating a scalable financial ecosystem designed to support stronger, more resilient healthcare systems across Africa.
TowerCo of Africa
TowerCo of Africa is expanding mobile connectivity across Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda and the DRC through a neutral infrastructure model that allows multiple operators to share telecommunications towers. By reducing the cost of network expansion, TOA makes underserved rural communities more commercially viable to connect. Its portfolio exceeds 3,700 towers, with 378 new sites built in 2025, while a US$30mn blended finance facility is funding 200 additional sites in Tanzania expected to reach up to 600,000 people. TOA, a wholly owned subsidiary of AXIAN Telecom’s Yas, combines digital inclusion with 99.7 per cent network uptime, biodiversity safeguards and responsible infrastructure development across its markets.
Agribusiness
Bôndy
Bôndy is a Madagascar-based regenerative agribusiness that combines ecosystem restoration, sustainable crop production and carbon finance into a commercially viable model. Working with more than 1,300 farmers across 40,000 hectares, it has planted over 10 million trees, restored degraded landscapes and created premium export value chains for coffee, vanilla, cloves, honey and pepper. AI-powered traceability and certified carbon projects generate additional income while supporting forest conservation. Unlike conventional agribusinesses, Bôndy integrates restoration, agriculture and carbon markets into one business, proving environmental protection can drive profitability, rural employment and long-term community resilience without permanent subsidy.
Drought Guard
Drought Guard Africa helps smallholder farmers overcome climate vulnerability through an integrated model combining solar-powered irrigation, farmer training, market access and produce aggregation. Operating in Uganda, it enables year-round cultivation using affordable irrigation-as-a-service and pay-as-you-go models while connecting farmers directly to buyers. The initiative has reached more than 100,000 farmers, irrigated over 5,000 acres and generated productivity gains of up to 60% alongside household income increases of up to 45%. By linking renewable energy, agricultural support and inclusive financing, Drought Guard Africa is building climate resilience, strengthening rural economies and creating sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable farming communities.
Farmer Globale Agribusiness
Farmer Globale is modernising Ghana’s rice sector through an integrated value-chain model centred on climate-smart Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technology. The approach combines input finance, mechanisation, extension support, aggregation, processing and guaranteed market access while preparing smallholder farmers to benefit from carbon credit markets through reduced methane emissions. Working with more than 20,000 farmers, the company promotes higher productivity, lower water use and stronger rural incomes while marketing locally processed rice under FDA-certified brands. By linking climate action with commercial agriculture, Farmer Globale is creating a scalable model for food security, carbon finance and inclusive economic growth.
Keep IT Cool
OKeep IT Cool is building East Africa’s leading climate-smart cold-chain platform, reducing post-harvest food losses while improving incomes for smallholder fishers and poultry farmers. Its integrated model combines solar-powered cold storage, refrigerated transport and the Markiti digital marketplace to connect producers directly with retailers. Operating across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the company has improved more than 250,000 livelihoods, supported over 64,000 producers, prevented 302,000 tonnes of food loss and avoided more than 41,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Recognised with the Earthshot Prize, Keep IT Cool demonstrates how clean technology can strengthen food security and sustainable agriculture.
Lersha
Lersha is transforming smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda through a digital ecosystem that integrates finance, mechanisation, climate-smart advisory, insurance, aggregation and market access. Its “phygital” model combines digital tools with a nationwide network of more than 4,000 rural agents, enabling farmers to access bundled services and non-cash financing backed by alternative credit scoring. Nearly 400,000 farmers have been digitally profiled, while partnerships with banks and private-sector buyers have strengthened market access and repayment performance. Lersha is demonstrating that coordinated agricultural ecosystems can unlock investment, improve productivity and scale inclusive rural development.
Manufacturing Champions
Omnicane
Omnicane has transformed coal ash from its Mauritian power plants into a valuable raw material for the construction industry through a pioneering carbon burn-out unit. Integrated within its sugar and energy operations, the project reduces the carbon content of fly ash, producing a low-carbon cement additive while generating additional steam and electricity. The circular economy model diverts waste from landfill, reduces reliance on imported Portland cement, lowers emissions and conserves foreign exchange. Operating since 2016, the facility has created local jobs and demonstrates how industrial by-products can be converted into commercially viable, environmentally sustainable manufacturing inputs.
Project Sydney
Sygen Pharmaceuticals is rebuilding Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity by transforming the distressed assets of Nigerian-German Chemicals into one of the country’s largest indigenous drug production platforms. The company manufactures affordable medicines across multiple therapeutic categories, reducing reliance on imports while strengthening medicine security and local supply chains. Since 2020, the project has mobilised more than US$21mn in investment, created 990 direct jobs and supports an estimated 42,000 across its value chain. Environmental improvements include waste reduction, effluent treatment and a shift from diesel to cleaner energy sources. Sygen now aims to achieve WHO GMP certification and expand manufacturing and distribution across Africa. ed over 1,000 reservations from bus operators in Africa.
Roam Air
Roam is accelerating Africa’s transition to electric mobility through the Roam Air, an electric motorcycle designed and manufactured in Kenya for African conditions. Combining local production with charging infrastructure, flexible financing and after-sales support, the company has deployed more than 4,500 motorcycles while helping riders reduce fuel and maintenance costs by 60–70 per cent. The business has created more than 400 skilled jobs and supports thousands more across its value chain, while cutting urban emissions and improving livelihoods. Roam aims to scale electric mobility across East Africa, demonstrating how locally built clean transport can drive industrial growth and economic opportunity.