SDG Awards 2024

Finalist Profile

Welcome to the SDG Awards, a distinguished recognition program honoring the remarkable contributions of individuals, organizations, and initiatives in championing the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Finalist Profile

ENGIE Energy Access (Africa)

About Company

SDG Awards 2024

Category - SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Provides clean energy to millions in rural areas.

➜ Provides clean energy to millions in rural areas.

➜ International Impact: Operates across nine African countries.

➜ Scalable solar solutions for homes, businesses, and communities.

1. What is the local impact your organization has achieved regarding your selected SDG? (No Word Limit)

At ENGIE Energy Access (MySol), we address the diverse and more decentralized needs of the people we serve, and this goes beyond just selling solar home systems or constructing mini-grids. We are the only company in the sector offering solar home systems and mini-grids solutions under one roof. The approach focuses on greater flexibility allowing a progressive, individualized and decentralized roll-out of SHS/SBS (Solar Business Systems) and mini-grid connections depending on actual demand, evolving with customer needs. We believes this is the path to delivering life-changing, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy solutions and exceptional customer experiences with a focus on the productive use of energy and the social transformation that will follow. With its unique business model, ENGIE Energy Access has improved 8 million lives in 9 countries, set up 15 mini-grids in operation with a pipeline of 330 mini-grids by 2025. We promote energy-efficient appliances and practices to reduce energy consumption and costs for households and businesses and offer flexible payment plans or microfinance options to make clean energy technologies accessible to low-income households. Our brand promise, 'Best Solar, best Life' encapsulates our mission for customers to which they can relate and identify with. We have already transformed over 12 million lives in 9 countries in Africa through our affordable solutions paid through mobile money from just $0.19 per day.

2. What is the global impact your organization has achieved regarding your selected SDG? (No Word Limit)

Our White Paper "Towards Universal Access to Energy: Enabling a Multi-Technology Approach in a Mini-Grid Environment" is a blueprint for action towards achieving the ambitious Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) by the 2030 deadline set by the United Nations. The white paper explores the challenges of the current energy landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa and presents a forward-thinking strategy. It emphasizes the need for an integrated strategy which combines an impact-driven approach served by various technologies within mini-grid environments to meet the diverse energy needs of underserved communities. In partnership with CarbonClear, we are accelerating the use of climate finance by the off-grid sector in sub-Saharan Africa through issuing and selling data-driven and impactful carbon credits. The credits will be sold to climate-conscious organisations wanting to offset their greenhouse gas emissions with projects that have a high social and environmental impact. The carbon credits are an important lever to optimize the affordability of decentralized energy products. In the area of clean cooking, ENGIE Energy Access Zambia and Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) have teamed up to expand access to innovative biodigester technology. This partnership addresses critical issues such as poverty, food insecurity, and climate change in Zambia's peri-urban and rural areas. Our collaboration will not only result in clean cooking solutions but also play a role in combating climate change.

3. What is the scalability of your innovation and how do you plan to achieve it? (No Word Limit)

ENGIE Energy Access (MySol) continuously strives to innovate its business model to cater more effectively to target segments, test tailored offerings to groups and implementing pricing structures and energy-as-a-service. Our strategy is more and more geared towards the productive uses of energy because we are convinced that sustainable energy is the catalyst of the socio-economic development of underserved communities, allowing existent businesses and new entrepreneurs to increase employment rate, reduce poverty and create new income streams. We have finetuned an integrated approach that leverages on the complementarity of Mini-grid and Solar Home System (SHS) solutions. Customers with limited consumption needs or that cannot be reached by the mini-grid are provided with SHS and customers with higher energy needs are connected to a mini-grid. Socio-economic benefits justify the installation of mini-grids in rural areas as they can power small industries, stimulate increased productivity and reduce costs through the use of more efficient and clean appliances. This approach has considerably accelerated access to clean and affordable energy, as well as boosting local economies.

4. What is your organization’s unique strategy for using technology to achieve your selected SDG? (150 Words Limit)

Technology is treated as a central approach in MySol to achieve an integrated and fast energy transition. Our model for payments from our customers in Africa is entirely centered on mobile money with integrated tracking systems through our central internally developed CRM software (powerhub) which links to multiple mobile applications that allow for easier sales, tracking of credit and customer cases, movement of assets in the field among other. These solutions are also available to external partners through our integrated B2B and wholesale partnerships and SAAS model (https://paygee.com/).

5. What challenges did you encounter while working for your selected SDG, and how did you address them? (150 Words Limit)

We faced significant barriers in affordability and low consumption, where high connection costs deterred poor households from adopting electricity, seeing it as a luxury rather than an investment. To address this, we lowered upfront costs and integrated energy-efficient appliances with our access solutions. Credit risk also posed a challenge due to inadequate credit information, high consumer credit risk, and misaligned financial instruments. To mitigate these, we collaborated with microfinance institutions and developed tailored financing models. We focused on decentralized solutions, advocating for supportive regulations and smart tax incentives to accelerate deployment. Local regulatory environments were managed by engaging policymakers to create a supportive landscape, encouraging private sector investments and achieving scale.

6. How did you engage local communities and stakeholders in your work, and what was their feedback? (150 Words Limit)

We engaged local communities and stakeholders through extensive local partnerships, employing over 6,000 local sales agents and subcontractors (99.9% of our workforce). Feedback has been positive, with 20% of our energy customers using their new access to start or expand businesses. We focused on capacity building through technical skills training in solar installation, maintenance, and repair, managed by community members. We also provided training on productive-use appliances, creating local employment and stimulating rural economic activity. Our entrepreneurship training programs empower locals to start their own businesses, enhancing economic self-reliance. Additionally, our Women Empowerment Initiatives prioritize women's training and inclusion, recognizing their crucial role in the energy sector. Communities have responded well to these efforts, appreciating the increased economic opportunities, skills development, and active participation in their energy future.

7. Which organizational skills and resources did you use to deliver goods/services without harming the environment or society? (150 Words Limit)

To sustainably deliver our off-grid solar solutions in Africa, we utilized a mix of organizational skills and resources. We prioritized local partnerships, employing local sales agents and subcontractors to minimize our carbon footprint and strengthen local economies. Our supply chain focused on sustainable sourcing, ensuring solar products were environmentally friendly and met high durability standards. We leveraged expertise in logistics to efficiently distribute products, reducing transportation emissions. Capacity building was another key resource; we trained local communities in technical skills, creating jobs in solar installation, maintenance, and repair, in that way stimulating local ownership and sustainability. We also implemented robust waste management practices to handle end-of-life solar products responsibly. Our women empowerment programs helped integrate social responsibility into our business model, promoting inclusivity and enhancing community resilience, ensuring that our operations benefited both the environment and society

8. In your view what roles do businesses, governments, and civil society should play in achieving the SDGs, and how can they collaborate effectively? (150 Words Limit)

Businesses, governments, and civil society each have crucial roles in achieving access to energy for all (SDG 7). Businesses should innovate and scale sustainable energy solutions, driving affordability and accessibility while ensuring environmental stewardship. Governments must create enabling environments through supportive regulations, incentives, and investment in infrastructure, facilitating private sector growth and ensuring equitable access. Civil society plays a key role in advocacy, raising awareness, and ensuring that community voices are heard, particularly the most vulnerable. Effective collaboration requires synergy: businesses and governments should work together to align policies with market needs, while civil society should bridge gaps between policymakers and communities, ensuring accountability and inclusivity. Public-private partnerships, co-designed projects, and transparent communication channels can enhance coordination. By leveraging their strengths, these sectors can jointly overcome barriers, mobilize resources, and scale up efforts to achieve universal energy access sustainably.

9. What advice do you have for individuals or organizations aiming to create positive change and support the SDGs? (150 Words Limit)

Focus on impact-driven innovation—develop affordable, scalable energy solutions tailored to local needs. Engage with communities to understand their challenges and ensure that your solutions are inclusive and user-friendly. Collaborate across sectors: partner with governments for supportive policies and with civil society for grassroots engagement. Prioritize sustainability by using environmentally friendly materials and practices. Invest in capacity building, offering training and resources to empower local communities, especially women, to manage and benefit from energy projects. Stay adaptable; the energy landscape evolves, so be ready to pivot and innovate as needed. Finally, maintain a long-term commitment, recognizing that achieving SDG 7 requires persistent effort and collaboration.

10. How would winning this SDG Award help you enhance your impact and expand your project? (150 Words Limit)

Winning the SDG 7 Award would accelerate our expansion into new markets, allowing us to bring clean energy access to millions of rural people in sub-Saharan Africa more quickly. It would provide vital resources and visibility to attract new partnerships and investments, enabling us to scale up operations and reach underserved communities faster. The award would also create space for us to invest in innovation, testing new technical solutions that enhance affordability, reliability, and sustainability of energy access. Ultimately, this recognition would strengthen our capacity to drive impactful change, contributing significantly to the 2030 objective of universal energy access.

11. What are your future objectives regarding your selected SDG? (150 Words Limit)

By 2030, we aim to positively impact 30 million lives by seizing clear growth opportunities through cost optimization and targeted investments. Our strategy includes accelerating the deployment of mini-grids and expanding our solar business systems more rapidly. We will broaden our offerings beyond energy to include clean cooking solutions and financial services. Our vision for the electrified rural community involves a multi-technology approach to combat energy poverty and stimulate rural economic activity. We will focus on the large market of weak-grid and off-grid small enterprises by scaling a high-quality Solar Business System and pursuing new business opportunities.