UK Firm Invests $75M to Power Africa With Solar Energy

For two years, tailor Balogun Adedayo Michael worked without electricity in Epe, Nigeria, watching his business struggle as his diesel generator constantly broke down and fuel prices climbed higher. When his community's biggest celebration arrived and customers flooded in with orders, he rented his first solar-powered battery and everything changed.

"I didn't disappoint them," Michael said, describing how reliable clean power kept his industrial sewing machines running through the rush. Soon, he won't need to rent batteries at all because overhead cables will connect his shop directly to a solar-powered hub.

Michael's story is playing out across six African nations thanks to MOPO, a British green technology company that just secured $75 million to expand its solar battery network. The Sheffield-based firm has completed 45 million battery rentals since launch, with monthly rentals jumping from 150,000 in 2023 to 1.6 million today across Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Chad, and Uganda.

The fresh funding from Octopus Energy, Norway's Norfund, and the World Bank will help MOPO build MOPOGrid. This next-generation system will transform their battery rental hubs into mini power stations, connecting homes and businesses through cables while keeping the flexibility of portable batteries for areas where grid connections aren't practical yet.

MOPO recently signed an agreement with Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency to fast-track the pilot phase across the country. The $75 million investment represents a new approach to development aid, where governments partner with private investors to scale solutions rather than simply writing checks.

The Ripple Effect

The UK has backed MOPO with nearly $4 million since 2020, while British International Investment added $5.2 million for expansion in the DRC. These relatively modest public investments helped attract much larger private funding, multiplying their impact.

"Being headquartered in Sheffield, we're very aware of the industrial history," said MOPO's chief operating officer Luke Burras. "Now we're innovating with two technologies which are at the heart of another industrial revolution: battery and solar. To us, the grid of the future is super flexible and powered by sunshine."

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband celebrated the investment as proof that clean energy transitions create economic opportunities while helping vulnerable communities. For Michael and millions like him, it means workshops that stay lit, food that stays cold, and phones that stay charged without burning expensive diesel or waiting for an unreliable grid.

Solar sunshine is powering Africa's industrial future, one battery rental at a time.