An off-grid energy impact investment company, ‘All On’, has launched its Innovation Ecosystem Development Programme (AO-IEDP), aimed at supporting clean energy startups and entrepreneurs within the organisation’s hub.
The 12-month incubation and prototype development programme will provide technical expertise, hands-on development, access to appropriate equipment and facilities, mentorship and necessary support to the participants.
Flagging off the programme on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of All On, Caroline Eboumbou, stated that the exercise funded by Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet will address a critical gap in Nigeria’s clean energy ecosystem by providing the technical and infrastructural support needed by promising ventures at the ideation and prototype development stage.
Eboumbou disclosed that 10 participating entities will receive hands-on technical guidance, venture creation training, mentorship and access to fabrication facilities to support the development and testing of their solutions.
According to her, “While access to capital remains important for growing energy businesses, many early-stage ventures require more than funding to turn an idea into a viable solution.
“Innovation does not happen simply because someone has a good idea. It takes the right environment, the right technical support, and the opportunity to build, test, and learn iteratively in the right conditions.
“With the All On Innovation Ecosystem Development Programme, we are addressing an important gap in the journey of early-stage clean energy ventures by giving entrepreneurs the practical support they need to move their ideas closer to real-world solutions.
“We are proud to work with Global Energy Alliance to create this opportunity for innovators within the All On Hub ecosystem and to strengthen the pipeline of businesses that can contribute significantly to Nigeria’s clean energy future.”
Also speaking, Muhammad Wakil, Country Director, Nigeria, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, noted that ideas only become businesses when entrepreneurs have somewhere to build and test them.
His words, “The All On Innovation Ecosystem Development Programme gives ventures the facilities and mentorship to work through their solutions before they go looking for capital.
“We expect the ventures coming out of this programme to raise funding faster, because investors will be backing prototypes that have already been through real testing, not just concepts on paper. That is the kind of pipeline Nigeria’s clean energy sector needs going forward.”