The second edition of the Goalkeepers awards was held on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, in New York, United States, on the occasion of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). Three world leaders were honoured during the ceremony for their work in support of development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The young Kenyan Dysmus Kisilu, represents the African continent in the top three of the 2018 ranking. He won the Progress Award.
Nearly 150% increase in agricultural yields thanks to solar energy
Dysmus Kisilu is the founder of Solar Gel, a company that provides small Kenyan farms (80% female) with renewable energy services to increase agricultural productivity. Solutions include irrigation kits and cold storage units, all powered by solar energy. To date, 3,000 women in rural areas have been equipped with these tools, increasing agricultural yields by more than 150% compared to 2016. “The idea is not only to increase yields, but also to make new generations aware of renewable energies,” says the entrepreneur.
Dysmus has also launched the project “Everyone, teaches, trains and wins”, through the Solar Freeze startup, of which he is the co-founder. It is an initiative to develop the next generation of leaders in renewable energy and smart agriculture in a context of climate change. To this end, the company supports young people aged 18 to 29 to train them in the operation, maintenance and repair of renewable energy equipment and in the transfer of skills in intelligent agriculture. The programme has provided 100 young people with access to regular income through training.
Aged 25 only and already with a long field experience in his country, Dysmus Kisilu is a product of the University of California in the United States. He quickly realised that renewable energy was a credible solution to boost the productivity of smallholder farmers and improve the living conditions of vulnerable people. His next project is to install fully solar-powered refrigerators in the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya to “improve their living conditions and enable doctors to store their vaccines”, explained Dysmus Kisilu.
Goalkeepers Awards is an annual ceremony that brings together young world leaders in New York. At the end of the conference-presenting ideas and initiatives in favour of development, the best are honoured by the Bill and Melinda-Gates Foundation, the initiator of this project. The challenge of the billionaire couple is to stimulate progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Boris Ngounou