Director, Solar Sisters
Olasimbo Sojinrin is a strong advocate for renewable energy and women empowerment across Africa. She is currently the Country Director at Solar Sister Nigeria, where she leads a network of women entrepreneurs distributing clean energy products in underserved communities across Nigeria. She has received many awards, including Gender mainstreaming in Energy Award Champion by ECOWAS ECREEE 2019, Google Impact Challenge in 2018, Winner of the 2017 Rurh Summit in Germany, 2016 Woman in Energy award from the Nigerian Energy Forum and 2015 Emerging Leader at Techwomen USA.
She has presented at national and international forums, including UNCSW annual meeting and the UNCTAD’s Commission on Science and Technology. Simbo is the National President of Women’s Consortium of Nigeria. She holds a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from INSEAD and a Masters in Public and International Affairs from University of Lagos.
Olasimbo started her career early in 1997 by advocating for the rights of young persons and taking a role as youth Director, Women’s consortium of Nigeria (WOCON), a National NGO committed to the enforcement of Women and children’s Rights and the attainment of equality, development and peace. She was the first elected African youth Representative that served as an advisory committee to the board of ECPAT International. Olasimbo was an Oxfam Action Partner at the International Youth Parliament in 2002. Olasimbo began to focus on Climate change when she joined the British Council in 2004, there she managed several partnership projects including Connecting Classrooms, Dream + Teams and Green Clubs that strived to educate secondary schools students on issues of Climate change.
She thereafter took a role as Capacity Development Manager of a UNDP assisted project called ‘Access to Renewable Energy’ where she pushed for climate change legislation with policy makers at Federal and State level as well as organised capacity development programs for renewable energy service providers in Nigeria and financial institutions. Olasimbo organised 3 annual high-level renewable energy investment forums to drive funding to the sector.
In 2014, she took up the Country Manager role at Solar Sister, a social enterprise with a mission to eradicate energy poverty through women’s economic empowerment. Solar Sister solves the problem of ‘last mile’ energy access and brings high-quality, affordable clean energy solutions right to the community’s doorsteps and also offering women an opportunity to make a sustained living by distributing clean energy products. She also serves as Director of Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON) founded by Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi in 1995.