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Is Africa’s green economy listening to its customers?

Commercial power is shifting from funders and operators to African consumers holding up their wallets

July 09, 2026

Welcome to Green Rising – We’re pretty sure no market that ignores its consumers can survive in the long term. And yet, that is how many green business sectors have long felt – driven by the ideas of founders and funders rather than consumer demand.  

At last that seems to be changing. Many of the conversations we’re part of now pay greater attention to those with the (mobile) wallets. Whether it’s regarding how they want to pay, how the products are designed and distributed or some other local quirk.

Customers are asserting themselves. It seems so obvious. Yet this change in the right direction is still little understood.

Much of the discussion around Africa's hydrogen industry has focused on scaling production. As those ambitions move closer to implementation, attention is shifting towards the infrastructure needed to support them – often before it is clear what the end products of a production facility will be. That’s going to lead to expensive mistakes.

  • Rather than becoming a single globally traded commodity, green hydrogen will reach markets in several forms, including green ammonia, liquid hydrogen, methanol and sustainable aviation fuel. Each requires distinct production, storage, transport and export infrastructure. 

  • A new report by the International PtX Hub suggests infrastructure investments made before market demand becomes clearer risk being poorly aligned with the hydrogen products buyers ultimately demand.  

  • Our take: Competitive advantage will depend not on production capacity alone but also aligned infrastructure….. Read more (2 min)

Kenya-based battery swapping company Okoa Energy has signed a deal with Upowa to establish the first interoperable swap stations in Cameroon. Upowa is a Cameroonian off-grid solar subsidiary of French utility EDF Group. This will create an open station network designed to host any compatible electric two-wheeler, regardless of the OEM.

  • Africa’s early electric two-wheeler companies are vertically integrated. Most companies deploy their own closed ecosystem of bikes, batteries, swap stations and software.

  • But “interoperability” is gaining popularity. Interoperable networks allow OEMs to focus on making bikes with operators focusing on running the swap networks. And riders having more choice.

  • Our take: The fear of loss of brand identity and control of key infrastructure means the big players will likely continue with their closed networks… Read more (2 min)

Sub-Saharan Africa sold more than nine million off-grid solar kits last year, accounting for nearly 90% of global sales. Growth was fuelled by strong PAYGo demand and a sharp rebound in Nigeria. It marked the sector’s biggest year on record and showed that off-grid solar is no longer just development-driven, but an increasingly commercial market.

  • For the first time, global PAYGo sales matched cash purchases, with five million units sold through each model. It is a hopeful sign that the financing approach, which took years to gain traction, is now driving half of all sales.

  • At the same time, the market is becoming more concentrated. The top three companies now account for nearly three-quarters of reported sales volumes, up from about two-thirds just four years ago.

  • Our take: The absorption of smaller competitors creates larger operators but also reduces competition… Read more (2 min)

As African countries expand Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems for plastics, a new UNIDO report suggests they are adapting implementation to local realities rather than following a single model. Experiences from five countries highlight diverse approaches aimed at advancing circular economy and waste management goals.

  • Plastic already accounts for an estimated 25–33% of daily waste in Africa, with rising populations and incomes expected to increase consumption and intensify waste management challenges. 

  • EPR is becoming central to Africa's efforts to address plastic waste. Beyond financing collection and recycling, the approach is designed to encourage producers to support circularity. 

  • Our take: Being a later adopter may prove to be one of Africa's greatest advantages, allowing countries to learn from established EPR systems while tailoring implementation to local realities… Read more (2 min)

Number of the week

…is the range of GoCab's 100 new electric cars, one of Africa's largest EV fleets, supplied by Chinese FAW and onboarded on the Yango ride-hailing platform. GoCab was founded in 2024 and raised $45 million.

Network corner

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👉 Liberia’s Linsay K. N. Smith is appointed CEO of Maifrance Solar to boost the supply of critical off-grid infrastructure

👉 Clean energy and sustainable mobility company Qoray Mobility & Energies Ltd introduces its founding executive team

Top green jobs from…

EVENTS UPDATE 

📆 Register for the Clean Energy Conference Australia-Africa in Rwanda (August 6)

📆 Attend the Biodiversity and Ecology Conference in Kenya (August 15)

📆 Join the Electric Mobility and After-Market Show in Morocco (September 22)

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