In partnership with Africa Energy Forum (AEF), the African Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) is launching a call for entries for the second edition of the AFSIA Solar Awards. A competition organised to honour the excellence of all solar industry professionals for their activities and contribution to electrification.
The AFSIA Solar Awards are organised by the African Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) as part of the Africa Energy Forum (AEF). It is the solar industry’s premier awards ceremony, recognising major players and successes in the African solar market. This year’s ceremony will be held face-to-face and remotely for those unable to travel to London for AEF, from 15-17 November 2021.
For this second edition, AFSIA has created 16 categories compared to 15 the previous year. These are Large Scale Solar Project of the Year, C&I (Commercial and Industrial) Solar Project of the Year, Mini Grid Solar Project of the Year, SHS (Solar Home Systems) Solar Company of the Year, Residential Solar Project of the Year, African Solar Company of the Year, African Solar Entrepreneur, SME of the Year, Financial Consultant of the Year, Legal Consultant of the Year, Technical Consultant of the Year, Development Finance Institution of the Year, Solar Woman of the Year, Solar Innovation of the Year, Solar Photo of the Year, Solar Video of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award. According to the categories, participants are invited to submit projects completed within the last 12 months.
The African and international companies selected will be those that score highest on innovation in their projects, but also on their boldness in the face of multiple constraints in the countries of installation. To do this, the applications will be evaluated by some of the leading experts in the African solar industry. They will review each entry independently and identify the best in each category.
“The Solar Awards 2021 will once again recognise excellence in innovation, professionalism, best practice, safety and environmental standards. The ceremony aims to celebrate the brightest individuals and companies that the African solar industry has to offer. But it will also highlight the tremendous growth and development that the African solar industry is currently experiencing,” explains Ines Dushime, Manager of the AFSIA Solar Awards.
The winners of the 2020 edition
At the 2020 AFSIA Solar Awards, Africa Green Tech, a German company with a strong presence in Africa, was awarded for its containerised installations in Mali, Niger and Senegal. In the same category, CrossBoundary Energy of Nigeria was also awarded for its system at the Jabi Lake Mall in Abuja. In the category of solar home system suppliers, two companies received an award. These were D. light based in San Francisco (USA), with a project targeting 100 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Anka Madagascar, which has an installed mini-grid capacity of 5 MW, was awarded in the same category. Pawame from Kenya and Solar Box Gabon, which have created their own Solar Cube system, were awarded in the category of “African Solar SME of the Year”.
The Woman in Solar of the year award went to 27-year-old Olaedo Osoka from Ghana, who is the promoter of Daystar Power Ghana. The African Development Bank (AfDB) won the financial partnership of the year award, with its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (Sefa), which will benefit companies.
For more information on the AFSIA Solar Awards 2021, click here.
Habib Tizi (Intern)
