I joined GreenMax in early 2016 while participating in a practical training program in New York after completing my graduate studies at the University of Rochester. I was attracted to the company because its mission aligns with my professional goal of contributing to sustainable economic development in Africa. My role at GreenMax over the years has been cross-cutting across all three business units.

Consulting

In 2016, one of my first projects at GreenMax involved supporting the consulting team with the design of a sustainable energy fund in Jordan on behalf of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). My mission to Amman was particularly memorable as it was my first time in the country. Later that year, I moved back to my native Nigeria and launched GreenMax’s operations there.

From 2017 to 2019, I co-managed a USTDA-funded feasibility study for a 20 MW embedded gas power project in Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos (the project did not ultimately proceed due to a change in plans by the new state government) and supported GreenMax’s off-grid solar market assessment for the World Bank-funded Regional Off-grid Electrification Project (ROGEP) across 19 countries in West Africa and the Sahel. The ROGEP study, which proved to be a mammoth undertaking, eventually resulted in the launch of a financing facility that is now providing funding and technical assistance to off-grid solar entrepreneurs across the region.

In 2020, I was part of the GreenMax consulting team that supported the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) with development of its renewable energy portfolio and engagement with partner financial institutions for utilisation of a subordinated credit line from KfW. Our work eventually led to KfW providing DBN with a EUR 25 million green credit line in 2023 to support MSMEs in the Nigerian renewable energy and energy efficiency space. In the same year, I conducted a comparative assessment of mini-grid subsidy schemes in Sierra Leone and Nigeria as part of a study for SEforALL and supported GreenMax’s update of Nigeria’s World Bank’s Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) index.

In 2021, I supported GreenMax’s analysis of direct use geothermal applications in East Africa for UNIDO and the development of an off-grid electrification roadmap for the government of Mozambique. The following year I supported an assessment of the off-grid solar market in Central African Republic on behalf of the World Bank, which ultimately helped guide donor engagements in country’s off-grid sector. Between 2021 and 2024, I was a member of the GreenMax team that prepared the GET.invest Market Insights reports which examined various clean energy market segments in Burundi, Uganda, Mozambique, and Nigeria.

Transaction Advisory

In addition to all of my work contributing to GreenMax’s consulting business, I was simultaneously part of the Transaction Advisory team providing financial analysis and investment facilitation services to various renewable energy projects and companies across Sub-Saharan Africa. This was initially challenging as most of the local companies we advised could not afford our services until critical technical assistance programs such as the GET.invest Finance Readiness Support (FRS) program and Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) arrived on the scene. I am currently leading our investment readiness and advisory support to various early-stage, locally-owned clean energy companies in Sub-Saharan Africa under the FRS program. Since 2017, I have supported the following companies in their fundraising journey: Rensource, Trust Synergy, ICE Solar, Greenpower, Solynta, Solar Era, NXT Grid, REIc, Vectis, MOON, Everlink, ACCESS, NalaPayGo, Rubitec, Topstep, Zed Motors, PayGo Energy, and W. Water Works.

Fund Management

In 2019, we began developing the Green-for-Access Facility (G4A) as a solution to gaps identified in financing energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa, partly based on our conversations with local FIs during the ROGEP study. In 2020, I co-led the team that conducted a market assessment to inform the design of the facility, which entailed remote interviews with 83 off-grid energy companies and 37 FIs active in the region. I also prepared a financial model for the facility, supported the design and arrangement of pilot transactions, prepared fundraising proposals and engaged with funders. In 2022, the G4A Facility was awarded the Keeling Curve by the Global Warming Mitigation Project and received EUR 1.5 million in seed funding from the IKEA Foundation. The grant from IKEA is currently supporting the launch of G4A’s pilot phase in Kenya and Nigeria, where G4A is facilitating local currency consumer lending in the e-mobility and solar cooling sectors, respectively.

Looking back, it has been an incredible and rewarding journey thus far. Big kudos to our Principal – Cliff Aron – for his doggedness when the going got tough for the company and for his mentorship over the years that has shaped my personal and professional growth. To my awesome colleagues, your camaraderie and collaboration have been invaluable. I am excited about what the future holds for GreenMax and looking forward to continued growth as we bridge the energy access gap.

Cheers to the next 30 years of impact and success!