Oxford says alumni wins £700,000 in Ukraine’s support for Nigerian electricity
A team of Oxford Said Business School alumni received £700,000 from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding, bringing affordable clean energy to off-grid communities in Nigeria and replacing thousands of diesel and petrol generators with sustainable alternatives.
Led by Ishaq Bolarinwa, CEO of Anfani and 2022 Oxford MBA graduate, the project will use cold storage infrastructure as anchorages to deploy wind and solar hybrid systems that store accumulations. Bolarinwa joined Oxford Saïd alumnus Tom Gibson and his Gyre Energy co-founders Michael McKenna and Dougald Coulson. The group, along with academic partners in the Department of Engineering Sciences at Oxford University, is one of five consortiums of ZE-Gen Technology Accelerator sponsored by Innovate UK and DSIT.
Nigeria currently has the world’s largest energy channel deficit, with 85 million people (43% of the population) accounting for the grid’s electricity. The result is widespread reliance on expensive, contaminating backup generators. Unreliable electricity causes the country to generate $26.2 billion a year, according to the World Bank.
“The project has hit a great location that is economically beneficial, reducing the energy costs of the community and helping the planet,” Bolarinwa said. “Limited access to power is blocking Nigeria. There is the potential for what we are building to unlock real change.”
The Oxford-led team will now focus on industrial research and system testing, paving the way for deployment throughout rural Nigeria. The clean energy microgrid will use wind turbines, solar panels and thermal storage technologies to support off-grid cold chain systems essential for food and medical supplies.
The project comes from the startup project module of Bolarinwa during his Bolarinwa MBA in Saïd, Oxford, and the Anfani concept began with renewable energy brokers. He believes the Oxford Network plays a crucial role in bringing the project to life: “Education is world-class, but it is the connection from classmates to scholars that transforms the idea into a task-led business.”
Academic support comes from Professor Lucia Corsini, Dr. Jesús Lizana, Ana Outeirinho Morgado and PhD student Bogosi Msutwana, Oxford Department of Engineering Science. Other consortium members include Sirius-X Energy and ThinkClock Battery Lab.
Looking ahead, the most promising projects in the “lift” stage will develop into the “fly” stage, where domestic innovation will be demonstrated and verified. If successful, the system could provide a blueprint for energy access solutions for sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
“This is a perfect example of what is being taken in the Oxford innovation ecosystem. We are pleased to join forces with Anfani to create a decentralized renewable energy system that can deliver practical, scalable impact where it is needed most.”
Supported by Ukri and ZE-GEN programs, and at the helm of Oxford alumni and academics, the project demonstrates how college-born innovation drives inclusive growth, decarbonization and energy justice, a microgrid.
