Work days go slowly, but tech years fly by

Africa doesn’t seem like a place of great green innovation. Here we show how wrong that is

June 19, 2025

Welcome to Green Rising – The daily business of companies is rarely innovation. From the first cup of coffee our work revolves around tasks, often mundane tasks. 

New ways of doing things happen elsewhere. Every day is only a minimal step on from the one before. Innovation is something you read about in the media.

And media tends to focus on one standout innovation at a time, telling (inevitably) a David & Goliath story: This unique tech, small now, but brilliant, could change much.

If we sit back, however, if we step out of the day-to-day, many of us have a sense that’s quite different. Individual innovation is rarely transformative, yet things change all the time. 

This week, we’ve tried to capture that sense – and document it – by aggregating much of the innovation that’s happened in Africa’s green economy in the past two months alone. 

Basically, we say, since Easter, this is what’s changed. We cut across numerous sustainable sectors on the continent. We’re not suggesting this two-months period is special. 

The opposite. In a random 2-month period, here are some major transformative green moves. Behold the speed of change, even if we can’t see it with the naked eye.

How to read this: We will throw a lot of information at you. Please treat this like sights viewed from a speeding car. The sum total counts, not the individual glimpse. 

The energy sector lies at the heart of Africa’s green economy. Multiple other sectors rely on it. And the pace of change is rapid. 

Innovation is most noticeable in three sub-sectors: Batteries, grids and solar. 

  • Gotion High-Tech, a Chinese battery manufacturer and Volkswagen partner, announced production of electric vehicle batteries at its $1.3 billion Morocco gigafactory for late 2026. It will be the largest EV battery factory in Africa with an initial production capacity of 20 GWh and plans to expand to 100 GWh.

  • Zurmi General Hospital in northern Nigeria used to suffer frequent power outages – until installing a 250-kilowatt solar power system. The hospital’s energy manager Israel Mushore said, "Now we have a stable and reliable energy source.”

  • South African electric vehicle charging company Zimi launched Africa’s first commercial vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging technology. It enables power to be pushed back to the grid from EV batteries. Zimi says EVs can support energy resilience. 

  • South African solar-as-a-service provider Wetility launched "AI Mode," a new software solution that enhances electricity savings and ensures uninterrupted power supply for consumers. 

  • Mobile operators Orange and Vodacom formed a joint venture to build 2,000 solar-powered telecom base stations across DR Congo, aiming to expand network coverage and mobile financial services to 19 million people.

  • A new Solar Direct Drive (SDD) refrigerator is powered by solar panels, eliminating the need for batteries. When sunlight is available, the system freezes water or another phase change material within an internal cold storage bank. This enhances vaccination efforts. 

The fields of drones and robotics have seen major advances in recent years globally, and the results are now turning up in Africa. 

  • A next-generation robot is set to transform waste sorting and recycling in Africa. Developed by TeknTrash Robotics, the technology uses VR-trained AI and hyperspectral imaging to mimic human dexterity, improving recycling accuracy.

  • Experts from the University of Southern Denmark are testing drones in Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy to monitor animal movements during night flights, collaborating with biologists and computer vision specialists.

  • Thermal cameras integrated with artificial intelligence are transforming rhino conservation. Developed by Teledyne FLIR in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, the technology detects humans, animals & vehicles in the dark, automatically alerting rangers to threats.

  • Kelpwatch, a platform that uses satellites to monitor kelp forests, has expanded its coverage to Africa. The technology could revolutionise not only monitoring of protected marine areas but also other landscapes under threat. 

Biotech requires large budgets and labs, until it doesn’t. A growing number of innovations in this field have made the leap into the field. 

  • Namibia’s Daures Green Hydrogen Village (DGHV), which leverages green hydrogen technology, has marked a significant milestone with its first harvest of 10 tonnes of cucumbers. The project is producing net-zero, sustainably grown agricultural products in greenhouses, while fostering local employment opportunities.

  • Nigerian health technology company Codix Bio will begin manufacturing rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) following a technology transfer from the global in-vitro diagnostics firm SD Biosensor. 

  • Nature Seychelles launched a solar-powered Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) Facility on Praslin Island. This land-based aquaculture facility is the first of its kind in Africa. It focuses on coral reef restoration using macro-fragmentation and controlled sexual reproduction techniques.

  • Researchers in South Africa have injected radioactive material into the horns of 20 rhinos to combat poaching, leveraging global radiation detection systems at border crossings to intercept traffickers. 

  • Ghanaian doctors and Microsoft developed 3D telemedicine technology to bridge the gap between African patients and global experts, effectively addressing the shortage of doctors. The use of enhanced lighting and cameras allows for the creation of 3D models, enabling precise remote assessments.

A list of AI technologies that are impacting Africa’s green economy could fill an entire newsletter on its own – and we’ve done so before. Hence just one example since Easter.

  • A Kenyan AI service for maternal healthcare, PROMPTS, is incorporating climate data to tackle heat and disaster-related risks. The service aims to provide tailored guidance for managing dehydration and preterm births linked to rising temperatures, benefiting over 3 million women enrolled on the platform.

All of the above happened in just the past two months. Work days go slowly, but tech years fly by.

Number of the week 

… of all global off-grid solar kit sales in 2024 were in East Africa, with 6.6 million units sold, a 37% increase from 2023, reports the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Cash purchases rose 48%, Pay-As-You-Go sales 24%, while household solar systems, multi-light systems, and solar lamps grew by 38%, 45%, and 33%, respectively.

Network corner

❝

👉 Spiro electric motorcycle sales hit 35,000 units in eight markets since its launch in 2022.

EVENTS UPDATE 

📆 Join the India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum in Kenya (July 17)

📆 Attend the Africa Creative Economy Lens in Rwanda (Aug 28)

📆 Sign up for the World Health Expo in South Africa (Sept 02)

ALSO PLEASE SEE OUR JOB BOARD BELOW

What we’re reading

  • Desert power: Harnessing just 1% of the Sahara Desert for solar energy could theoretically generate multiple times the world's electricity demand, leveraging the region's unparalleled solar irradiance. However, large-scale deployment risks ecological feedbacks, such as altered rainfall patterns and disruption of dust transport vital for Amazon rainforest fertilization. Morocco’s Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex illustrates practical implementation, while distributed solar projects across deserts offer a balanced strategy to maximize energy gains while mitigating environmental impacts. (Your Story)

  • Precision mapping: New research refines global reforestation targets to 195 million hectares, a drastic reduction from prior estimates, by incorporating factors like albedo effects and ecosystem-specific needs. This precision approach excludes native grasslands and savannas to avoid biodiversity loss and fire regime disruption, particularly critical in Africa. (University of the Witwatersrand)

  • AI to wildfire rescue: A Moroccan university students' artificial intelligence system predicts wildfire risks and optimizes agricultural management using historical weather data and real-time NASA satellite imagery. (iAfrica)

Top green jobs from…

Reply

or to participate.