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Herald Correspondent
The United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Conference of Parties (COP29), ended yesterday in Baku, Azerbaijan, having run from November 11.
While there are concerns over the absence of a deal on how wealthy nations are going to provide climate finance, a Zimbabwean innovator, Mr Simbarashe Gwenzi, left a lasting impression there.
He had an opportunity to explain his green energy solution aimed at empowering communities, during a COP29 side event that ran under the title: “Youth-driven sustainable cities: Advancing just transformations of urban systems.”
His green energy accelerator won an award last year for the Youth4Climate.
Mr Gwenzi, who was representing the country and his organisation YEC Fund, delivered a presentation at the side event organised by YES-Europe in collaboration with the European Youth Energy Network, Politecnico di Torino and Paryavaran Mitra.
Winning the award last year was a defining moment for him and his team, as that reinforced the importance of innovative, community-focused stations.
“At its core, the project addressed two intertwined challenges, energy access and financial inclusion, by deploying solar-powered kiosks in rural areas and integrating SoshoPay powered by YEC Fund, a fintech solution enabling pay-as-you-go financing for energy systems and productive usage equipment,” said Mr Gwenzi.
“This initiative was not just about installing technology; it was about empowering communities and engaging local entrepreneurs, training technicians and tailoring solutions to fit the unique needs of rural micro, small and medium enterprises.
“We proved that sustainability and economic growth can go hand in hand,” said Mr Gwenzi.
The journey has taught the YEC Fund team that the most impactful solutions are those created in conjunction with the communities they aim to serve.
He explained that the project was about innovation rooted in practicality and inclusivity.
However, Mr Gwenzi pointed out that despite the progress, his group continued to face some challenges including infrastructure gaps in energy distribution especially in rural and peri-urban areas.
Other challenges related to financial barriers where many micro and small enterprises operate outside the formal financial systems, limiting their access to credit.
Equally, there are concerns pertaining to maintenance and long-term usability of deployed systems, but efforts to train local technicians through the green energy accelerator to maintain the systems are underway, creating both sustainability and local employment.
Mr Gwenzi said going forward, the vision was to scale the green energy accelerator to reach more underserved communities, ensuring they not only gain access to energy, but also the financial tools to grow their businesses.
“Through SoshoPay, we are bridging the gap between technology, finance and sustainability, creating a replicable model for building resilient emerging economies,” said Mr Gwenzi.
Online Reporter