Nairobi today kicks off the Sankalp Africa Summit, a three-day gathering uniting entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers under the theme “South–South Rising.” The event, running through February 26, reasserts Kenya’s capital as a hub for enterprise growth, climate resilience and innovative African solutions.
Ahead of the summit, Energy Catalyst, an Innovate UK programme, has staged a three-day showcase of leading African clean-energy enterprises from February 24–26. Organizers say the showcase offers an early opportunity for investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs to engage with technologies aimed at improving energy access before the main summit opens.
A flagship session, “Energy as Infrastructure for Agriculture – Powering Food Systems”, will feature market-ready technologies designed to boost productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and enable reliable cold-chain solutions for farmers and rural enterprises.
A key highlight of this year’s summit is the exhibition of clean energy and climate technology innovations targeting underserved markets, a persistent challenge across sub-Saharan Africa. Among the solutions attracting investor attention are solar-powered milling systems, which replace diesel-powered mills, potentially reducing operating costs for smallholder farmers. Industrial decarbonisation is also spotlighted, with biomass-to-energy systems transforming agricultural waste into heat and power for tea factories and other processors.
In Mozambique, solar-battery microgrids branded as “GoHubs” will demonstrate ice production, cold storage and refrigerated transport solutions for artisanal fishing communities, where unreliable electricity currently contributes to post-harvest losses. The summit will also showcase pay-as-you-go induction stoves, expanding access to electric cooking for off-grid and peri-urban households through flexible financing models.
The urgency for such innovations is stark, around 600 million Africans lack electricity and over a billion lack access to clean cooking solutions, according to the World Bank. These deficits constrain economic growth, limit education and health opportunities, and undermine industrial and small business development. Rising energy demand from population growth and industrialisation, coupled with climate change impacts, underscores the need for a rapid clean energy transition.
“Closing Africa’s energy gaps is both a development necessity and a climate imperative,” analysts note, highlighting the social, economic and environmental benefits of accelerated adoption of clean energy technologies.
The summit also showcases Africa’s most promising startups. Sixteen finalists from sectors including AgriTech, CircularTech, ClimateTech, FinTech and HealthTech converge at Workable Nairobi, with five winners to be announced at the Sankalp Africa Summit 2026 at the Sarit Expo Centre.
HealthTech finalists include:
- Blandine Umuziranenge, Kosmotive – addressing period poverty and reproductive health.
- Victor Ndegwa, Malaica – safer pregnancy solutions.
- Wilfred Njuguna, Zendawa – improving access to essential medicines.
- Cathy Sebag, CervInsight – advancing cervical cancer detection.
CircularTech finalists are turning Africa’s waste into viable business models:
- Benson Abila, M-taka – converting Kisumu’s plastic waste into a circular economy.
- Isaiah Mutuma, Lifta Kenya – closing the loop on product lifecycle management.
- Nzambi Matee, Gjenge_Makers – producing bricks from plastic stronger than concrete.
FinTech finalists address Africa’s unbanked population, which stands at 57%:
- Erasmus O., PAYTOTA – unified payments platform for over 500 businesses.
- Catherine Masolia, Somo Africa Trust – enabling social entrepreneurs to become bankable.
- Daniel Kagame Ndahiro, Credify Africa, Inc. – SME credit and trade finance.
ClimateTech finalists showcase solutions ranging from anti-fraud seed marketplaces to saltwater farming and cleaner cookstoves:
- Samuel M., Shamba Pride – marketplace for secure seed sourcing.
- Yanik Nyberg, NARA Climate – desert farming innovations.
- Habiba Ali FSESN, SOSAI Renewable Energies Company – smoke-free cookstoves.
AgriTech finalists focus on sustainable production and community livelihoods:
- Angela Juliana Odiero, Rio Fish Ltd – aquaculture and women-centred farmer livelihoods.
- Peter Sanga, Khebhandza Marketing Company Ltd – sustainable cereal production for smallholders.
- Eugene Kavishe, Vonkavy Agro Co Ltd – high-nutrition poultry and agronomic training.
With startups and technologies converging under one roof, the Sankalp Africa Summit underscores Africa’s rising entrepreneurial energy and its potential to drive inclusive growth, industrial transformation and climate resilience across the continent.
