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Whisper Ganya, CEO of RA-ESG Solar Solutions, urged attendees at this year’s Africa Energy Week to fundamentally change the continent’s energy strategy by moving decisively from talking about Africa’s vast “potential” to achieving tangible, “practical execution” of projects on the ground.
In an address to the forum, Ganya stressed that the time for conceptualising and discussing potential is over, given the persistent energy challenges facing the continent.
“For many years, everybody talks about the type of potential we have on the continent, we know about that, but we are saying let’s move away from potential to get practicals on the ground,” Ganya stated.
He highlighted a severe paradox: while the natural resources at Africa’s disposal are “unmatched anywhere else in the world,” persistent energy access issues plague regions from West Africa to Southern Africa.
Bridging the Gap from Conference Room to Village
Ganya argued that the core challenge now lies in translating high-level policy discussions into tangible solutions for everyday citizens and critical services.
“The talk shows and everything have happened for way too long. We now need to execute what we discussed here today,” he said.
“How do we actually put that into a practical solution on the ground to someone who is in the smallest village deep down in Nigeria, deep down in Kenya, deep down in Zimbabwe?”
He emphasised that energy solutions must immediately benefit communities, supporting essential infrastructure such as: School kids’ education, Mining company operations, Local clinics and hospitals.
Call to Action: Closing Deals and Getting Dirty
Ganya concluded with a direct call for urgency, insisting the industry must stop the cycle of endless debate.
“We cannot continue having this energy problem, a perennial problem, left, right and centre when we have so much resource at our disposal,” he declared.
“So I’m expecting us to start closing these deals and getting onto the ground, get our hands dirty and cut off the energy crisis that we’ve seen over the years.”
