The Energy Talk - Storytellers of Africa's Energy Transition

This episode features Cassady Walters, Vice President of the Power Portfolio at the Rockefeller Foundation, and our host Chigozie (‘Gozie”) Ubah. Cassady shares her career trajectory—from her early experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Mali witnessing how energy poverty directly impaired healthcare and education, to strategic advisory at Albright Stonebridge Group analyzing industrial constraints such as ...

This episode welcomes Nela Ekpenyong, Co-founder of and Partner at Obudu Capital, a $20M climate tech fund investing in early-stage startups across Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya. Nela's path into climate began with a formative visit to the Obudu Mountains in 2013, where she witnessed, firsthand, ecosystem collapse — vanishing wildlife and dwindling water — that later compelled her to build her conservation nonprofit...

Olu sat down with Adrian Groos (CEO) and Akeem Niyonzima (CTO), co-founders of Nimbus Aerospace, an  aerospace company building a six-passenger hybrid-electric light jet. At the time of recording, Nimbus Aerospace had grown after successful entry into Techstars and was also raising a VC-led round. Additionally, Nimbus Aerospace plans to sell their aircrafts at around $12.5M (vs the ~$12M light jet market leader), to lower CAPE...

In the final episode of the Electrified & Exposed mini-series, we are pivoting from the private sector perspective to the public sector perspective. Podcast series host, Churchill spoke to two finance experts who are at the heart of the design and the implementation of currency risk solutions in Africa’s energy transition.

Arun Singh (Senior Energy Specialist) & Magnus Nilsson (Impact Fund Manager) talk to us about why...

Currency risk (often referred to as FX risk) is one of the most under appreciated barriers to sub-Saharan Africa's energy transition. In many contexts it is not just a financing headache. It shapes which projects get built, which companies survive, and which communities remain without power.

The Energy Talk partnered with Dr. Churchill Agutu from the Collegium Helveticum to explore this issue through the voices of the practitioners ...

Valentina Guido Bergamo, Senior Associate at RMI, joins as guest host on this episode of The Energy Talk podcast recorded in Kampala, Uganda during the Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF) in 2025.

We discuss the role of women in Africa’s clean energy transition through the Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) and the Global Women in Clean Energy Fellowship, including the launch of its first cohort across Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zam...

Valentina Guido Bergamo, Senior Associate at RMI, joins as guest host on this episode of The Energy Talk podcast recorded in Kampala, Uganda during the Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF) in 2025.

We discuss the Global Women in Clean Energy Fellowship program that recently launched its first cohort in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zambia.  This episode also includes a feature interview with Shamiso Kacelenga,  Program Analyst for e...

In this episode of The Energy Talk, we delve into the inner workings of the REPP 2 fund, a groundbreaking initiative managed by Camco, aimed at transforming the renewable energy landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa. We welcome Ben Hugues (Fund manager of REPP 2) and Ieva Indriunaite (former head of REPP 2’s technical assistance facility), to share insights into the fund's blended finance structure, which not only mobilizes substan...

In this episode, we sit down with Emily McAteer, CEO and Co-founder of Odyssey Energy Solutions, one of the most influential startups in the climate tech space for emerging markets. Odyssey is transforming how Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) projects are financed, procured, and managed—especially in emerging markets across countries in Africa, and also India, Mexico, and Brazil.

What began as a platform supporting DFIs like...

Register for the Included VC Africa Reimagined: VC & Beyond Summit

Join Diana Maranga, Head of Commercialization at Octavia Carbon, as she shares her unique journey from growing up inspired by environmental hero Professor Wangari Mathai to leading a pioneering direct air capture and storage company in Kenya. In this episode, Diana discusses Octavia Carbon's early stages, key growth milestones, and the complex challenges of comme...

In this episode, Ifechukwude 'Chude' Uwajeh, Managing Director of Blended Finance at GreenMax Capital Group, shares his professional journey from large-scale thermal power projects to clean energy advisory and fund management.

He discusses the challenges of electrification in Africa, the importance of creative financing models, and the implementation of the Small Outcomes Fund aimed at energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Chude ...

In this episode of The Energy Talk, we sit down with the CEO of Earthbond, Chidalu Onyenso, to explore the company’s innovative approach to solving Nigeria’s energy crisis through solar energy solutions tailored for SMEs.

We explore Earthbond's mission, financing models, and the challenges of scaling renewable energy solutions in underserved regions. The episode also takes a detailed look at Earthbond’s potential...