R-L : Oluwaseyi Onifade, Investment Advisory Associate, (All On Partnerships for Energy Access); Sele Inegbedion, Innovation Hub Manager and Head of the Hub, (All On Partnerships for Energy Access); Mr Gregory Ibe (Jnr), Managing Director, (Innov8 Hub); Dr Deji Ige, Deputy General Manager, (Innov8 Hub); Emmanuel Chika Okpala, Founder, (0 Emissions Technologies); Mr Edward Singhatey, Director, (Innov8 Hub); Farouk Magaji Bello, Manager, Demand, Jobs and Livelihoods, (Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet) and Tolulope Aina, Head of Programs and Ventures, (Innov8 Hub) at the launch of the All On Innovation Ecosystem Development Programme
A Nigerian firm which provides off-grid electricity ‘All On’ has launched an Innovation Ecosystem Development Programme (AO-IEDP) aimed at supporting clean energy startups and entrepreneurs within the organisation’s hub.
The 12-month incubation and prototype development programme will provide technical expertise, hands-on development, access to appropriate equipment and facilities, mentorship and necessary support to the participants.
Launching the programme, the Chief Executive Officer of All On, Caroline Eboumbou, said the exercise funded by Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet would address a “critical gap in Nigeria’s clean energy ecosystem by providing the technical and infrastructural support needed by promising ventures at the ideation and prototype development stage.”
Eboumbou disclosed that 10 participating entities will receive hands-on technical guidance, venture creation training, mentorship and access to fabrication facilities to support the development and testing of their solutions.
According to her, “While access to capital remains important for growing energy businesses, many early-stage ventures require more than funding to turn an idea into a viable solution.
“Innovation does not happen simply because someone has a good idea. It takes the right environment, the right technical support and the opportunity to build, test, and learn iteratively in the right conditions.
” With the All On Innovation Ecosystem Development Programme, we are addressing an important gap in the journey of early-stage clean energy ventures by giving entrepreneurs the practical support they need to move their ideas closer to real-world solutions.
“We are proud to work with Global Energy Alliance to create this opportunity for innovators within the All On Hub ecosystem and to strengthen the pipeline of businesses that can contribute significantly to Nigeria’s clean energy future.”
Also speaking the Country Director, Nigeria, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Muhammad Wakil, noted that ideas only become businesses when entrepreneurs have somewhere to build and test them.
“The All On Innovation Ecosystem Development Programme gives ventures the facilities and mentorship to work through their solutions before they go looking for capital.
“We expect the ventures coming out of this programme to raise funding faster, because investors will be backing prototypes that have already been through real testing, not just concepts on paper. That is the kind of pipeline Nigeria’s clean energy sector needs going forward.”
