Olasimbo Sojinrin is currently the country manager of Solar Sister; a social enterprise aimed at eradicating energy poverty in Africa by empowering women with economic opportunity. She is a community organizer, an advocate for climate change progress and women’s rights in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Olasimbo began her work in climate change when she joined the British Council in 2004 and managed several partnership projects with secondary school students, including Connecting Classrooms and Green Clubs.
She later worked as a Capacity Development Manager for a UNDP-assisted project called ‘Access to Renewable Energy’ where she pushed for climate change legislation with policy makers at federal and state levels and supported capacity building programmes for renewable energy service providers and financial institutions.
Olasimbo Sojinrin is our #SustyPerson of the week because we completely love her and all that she stands for.
Read her interview below as she takes us on her career of bringing hope to Africa via Renewable Energy.
Q. Kindly introduce yourself
My name is Olasimbo Sojinrin, but most people just call me Simbo.
Q. What are your daily activities at Solar Sister?
Solar Sister is an innovative social enterprise eradicating energy poverty by combining women power with green power. We combine the breakthrough potential of life transforming clean energy technologies with an Avon style direct sales network to bring light, hope and opportunity to even the most remote communities in Africa.
At Solar Sister, we are all about supporting women to grow their clean energy business. My main roles are: co-coordinating the team across Nigeria that recruits women entrepreneurs, train them and support them to distribute clean energy products in their communities. As Solar Sister has presence in 20 states across Nigeria, I am usually supporting my team with phone calls and visits, while dealing with suppliers and partners. Solar Sister solves the problem of ‘last mile’ energy access and brings high-quality, affordable clean energy solutions right to the women’s doorsteps through our network of Entrepreneurs.
Q. Why did you decide on a career along this path?
I think I decided really early in my career that I wanted to live a life of impact and that whatever role I took would have a clearly defined path to impacting others positively. I was raised by a seasoned feminist and have a passion for women empowerment. I also have a passion for the environment having studied urban and regional planning as my first degree. Solar Sister provides that rare opportunity of having a complete blend of both my passions and provides this platform for me to live the life of impact that I have always desired
Q. What do you expect to happen with the new rise of women in Renewable Energy in Nigeria?
I expect a revolution in the Industry. The whole world is recognizing that sustainability is the way forward; this is evident with the Sustainable Development Goals and clean energy having its own goal (goal 7). Women will be positioned to reap the benefits by acting fast and ensuring that the world is protected by adopting clean energy and reducing energy poverty in our communities. Women will not only be the victims but provide the solution to eradicating energy poverty in our communities
Q. Why do you think Solar Energy is still a “rich man’s thing” in Nigeria?
I think this is largely due to education and awareness. I can also blame short sightedness and market spoilage from inferior products. Simple calculations show that if you make a switch to solar, you will save money. If you take the daily spend of a family on energy and multiply it by a year, you will find that Solar is cheaper. However, one cannot ignore the initial costs and the ability for individuals to have that bulk figure to purchase the equipment.
For the adoption of Solar in Nigeria like any other new technology, it needs to be deployed with a lot of education and awareness. Unfortunately poor government solar contracts –mostly solar street lights and community bore holes – are visible and failing. This colours the very limited knowledge of people about the technology as the only visible examples are not working. So as you can imagine, this make a difficult task, even harder. But we are equal to the task, we have pre-empted this prejudice and developed our unique way of selling and educating communities. Women are integral to this; women that refuse to be dampened by the inefficiencies of our government to provide us with the basic amenities and have taken the bull by the horn. In Solar Sister, we have taken charge and refuse to be victims. We have decided to embrace technology and continue to identify affordable solutions to our energy problems.
Q. So far, how would you say Solar Sister has helped African women combat poverty?
It has been established that Investing in a woman is not only the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do. When you empower a woman, you empower a community! Women make the decisions every day on how energy is managed. As the primary consumers of household energy, women are critical to the successful adaptation of clean energy technology solutions. We believe that investing in women is thus a prerequisite for large-scale adoption of clean energy technologies at a grassroots level. In this sense, the Solar Sister Entrepreneur is combating both energy poverty and economic poverty with her role as clean energy distributor and her earnings and profits.
Q. Are there any exciting projects Solar Sister in working on in Nigeria currently?
Solar Sister is constantly expanding to cover more communities theatre faced with energy poverty, we seek to partner with grassroots organisations and local community groups to introduce Solar Sister and our model and recruits vibrant Solar sisters that also serve as energy advisers in the communities.
Q. How have your previous job roles been able to help you deliver on your current role at Solar Sisters?
I think my previous roles have given me grounding in project and people management. I think this has provided the foundation in which I operate. Every role I have every occupied has been a learning opportunity for me. No knowledge is wasted and I strive to keep learning.
Q. Has being a woman ever affected your career goals and aspiration?
The short answer is No. I recognize the physiological differences between a man and a woman but that is where the difference stops in my head. I believe that the only thing that can limit you is your brain. As a problem solver, I believe once a problem is identified, I use my energy in figuring out a way out of that problem and I don’t let it stop me.
Q. Apart from Solar Products and entrepreneurship, are there other ways Solar Sister reaches out to women?
Solar Sister is creating a ripple effect of increased households savings, improved health, better education opportunities, thriving small businesses and women who are confidant, strong and role models for their communities.
Q. Please tell SustyVibes about your other interests
I like to unwind with friends and family and just have good times. I really believe in creating memories. I am quite adventurous and like the outdoors (last year, I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and got to the top!) I like learning about other peoples’ cultures, beliefs and tasting different foods and delicacies.
Q. What are your favourite SDGS? And why?
My favourite has to be Goal 7 – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. I really believe energy has such an effect on all other aspects of life. I have seen the effects a light bulb makes in the life of someone and the dramatic effects it has on other sectors such as health, education, economy etc. I believe everyone deserves modern energy.
Q. What would be your advice for women interested in Renewable Energy careers in Africa?
Go for it, Renewable Energy was a thing of the future, but the future is NOW. Position yourself to reap the benefits of a sustainable world.
Q. How can people reach you on find out more about your work?
You can check our website: www.solarsister.org
Facebook page www.facebook.com/solarsister.org
Follow us on twitter: @solar_sister @olasimbo
Email: info@solarsister.org or olasimbo@solarsister.org