World Resources Institute (WRI), with the support of the Wallace Global Fund and DOEN Foundation, has been supporting local last mile and indigenous pay-as-you-go energy access distributors in Kenya. As a campaign partner, WRI turned to Shine to develop and lead a workshop on creating a pipeline of local entrepreneurs and reducing risk in energy access investments last week in Amsterdam.
The Shine Campaign’s Emira Woods leads a discussion about solutions for accelerating support for local energy access entrepreneurs at WRI’s June meeting in Amsterdam.
At the meeting, WRI provided background information on recent research, including investment disparities in local vs. foreign operated energy enterprises and the results of interviews with more than investors. They also showcased opportunities in local clean energy enterprises in Kenya.
Following WRI’s information session, there were three breakout workshops to ideate potential solutions to help accelerate the support for these local entrepreneurs:
Solution 1- Creating a Network of Diaspora Angel Investors
Group Lead: Emira Woods, Senior Program Advisor, Shine Campaign
Solution 2- Increasing Capital in Local Fund Management
Group Lead: Mark Correnti, Managing Director Investments, Shine Campaign
Solution 3- Developing the Incubation Ecosystem
Group Lead: Daphne Pit, Founder Pit Pure Power
Coming out of the meeting, WRI and the Shine Campaign are exploring the potential for a follow-up workshop in Nairobi and activities in Kenya for interested stakeholders in early 2020.