Climate charity Ashden during the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi on 4 September, revealed the finalists for its 2023 Ashden Awards, with eight out of the ten finalists coming from Africa and two others coming from India and Peru
With five of the award categories centred on the Global South, a major focus lies on pioneers bringing clean affordable energy where it’s needed most - from smallholder farms to camps for displaced people. Besides this, the Ashden Award for Nature Based Solutions accelerates work protecting threatened forests.
“Our finalists show the huge power of clean energy to raise incomes, protect health, and create opportunity for women and young people. All while putting countries on the path to a zero carbon future. And even more impressive when we consider how little climate finance actually reaches innovators in the Global South," said head of Awards at Ashden, Stephen Hall.
The award winners for the Global South categories are:
1. Ashden Award for powering futures in clean energy - Awarded to Burasolutions Solar Academy, Nigeria for boosting skills and pathways to work for women and marginalised people, with support for innovation and entrepreneurship. Fondazione ACRA, Senegal also received the award for its role in supporting marginalised women in rural Senegal to launch solar-powered businesses, with training and access to products and finance.
2. Ashden Award for integrated energy Africa - Awarded to Power for All, Uganda for its Utilities 2.0 Twaake project which unites centralised and decentralised renewable energy companies to achieve faster and cheaper electrification, boost rural livelihoods, and end energy poverty. Husk Power, Nigeria also received the award for its initiative to build at least 500 clean energy minigrids by 2026, supporting businesses, schools and hospitals, benefiting more than 2 million people, and displacing an average of 25,000 diesel generators.
3. Ashden Award for powering refugees and displaced people - Awarded to USAFI Green, Kenya for their excellent initiative to create work and improve health for displaced people and host communities. The award was also presented to Care for Social Welfare International, Nigeria for using clean energy to bring much-needed light and water to a camp for displaced people in Nigeria.
4. Ashden Award for powering agriculture - Presented to Collectives for Integrated Livelihoods Initiatives (CInI), India for helping women in India's Central Tribal Belt to use clean energy to raise their incomes and become leaders in their communities. Mobility for Africa, Zimbabwe was also awarded for its custom-built electric tricycles that provide transport for rural women, boosting their livelihoods, access to social services and saving their valuable time.
5. Ashden Award for natural climate solutions - Awarded to CERAF-NORD, Cameroon for supporting communities around Benue National Park, and in the north of Cameroon, to restore degraded land through agroforestry. The award was also presented to ECA-Amarakaeri, Peru for supporting people to earn a sustainable living through agriculture and giving them the tools to monitor and report illegal logging and mining.
