Togo's step managed to summarize what is at stake in the energy access in Africa

Publish on 02/10/2019

Step number 6. The roadshow keeps its momentum. The event’s organisation is well-rehearsed. The jury members are ready to hear the candidates’ meticulously prepared speeches. The tension is rising, and eventually, Energy Cycle is crowned. Let’s take a look back to this rhythmic event that elected a candidate who is fully committed to make energy accessible to the Togolese.

There is no need to precise that EDF Pulse Africa’s Togolese step allowed many entrepreneurship and energetic ecosystem’s key actors to meet. There is no need neither to mention that it has created exchange opportunities on different societal subjects that involve directly the Togolese population. All this information is now common sense since five other steps of the Tour have broached the same stakes. Stakes of energy access, technologic innovation and entrepreneurship dynamism that are obviously shared by the whole African continent, but which include specific issues in each and every country. And who says local matters also says suitable solutions to answer the Togolese needs. It is to deal with this last subject that EDF Pulse Africa Tour in Togo endeavoured to create an event that can be defined both as local and as multisectoral. Let’s explain.

Global and multisectoral: EDF Pulse Africa Tour in Togo gathered diverse but complementary jury members. First, entrepreneurs – Astria Fataky (Energy Generation director) and Urbain Amoussou (CUBE founder), who are both at the head of Togolese incubators, were able to judge the candidates in the light of the experience they gleaned-up. Then energy experts – Elie Lare Santiegou, BBOXX avec EDF Managing Director, relied on its wide knowledge of the energy market to decide between the projects. But also financial profiles – Fatoumata Traoré, financial analyst for the West-African Development Bank, used her financial background to analyse the candidates’ business model pertinence. And foreigners used to start-up’s accompany. Olivier Clément (EDF Togo’s Director) and Christ-Anderson Ahoua Boua (EDF off-grid Business Developer) wondered if the candidates had a high enough potential to make a significant impact on the society. Eventually, a spirit developing a global view. Marc Vizy, the French Ambassador in Togo, was able to synthesize those points of view in bringing its own overall vision.

Local: Togolese start-up Energy Cycle was appointed winner of EDF Pulse Africa Tour’s 6th step. The technology mixes motorized vehicles with energy power. Actually, it develops a USB device that can be directly set up on a two-wheeled vehicle in order to charge a smartphone up. The device is sold with a rechargeable lamp that assure a higher security for vehicles during night-time. The spread of such a technology would scum the huge issue of unreliable – and sometimes non-existing – local electricity grids. To do so, the start-up targets motorcycle owners because they represents a big panel of users as these vehicles are widely drove in Togo (and even beyond, in all Africa).

EDF Pulse Africa Tour in Togo has been the perfect opportunity to remind us that the challenge is mixing a multisectorial aspect with a local dimension. Energy Cycle has been the one that best integrated all those stakes and that is why it has been crowned by the jury. But it must not ring as the Tour’s conclusion: on Thursday, 3rd of October will occur the 7th and last step which will reveal EDF Pulse Africa Tour’s last finalist!