Damilola Ogunbiyi

Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All and UN special representative advancing SDG7 and energy access in the Global South. She discusses how Africa and other developing regions are leapfrogging fossil fuels with solar, storage, mini-grids and EVs. They cover why energy access matters for dignity and gender, the financing bottlenecks, and how local capital, data and policy are reshaping the clean energy future.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, the CEO of Sustainable Energy for All and a key UN figure recognized by Time Magazine, shares valuable insights on tackling energy poverty. She highlights the dire situation of over a billion people lacking access to electricity. The conversation dives into AI’s potential to bridge the energy access divide, while also cautioning against the risk of a new digital divide. Ogunbiyi advocates for decentralized energy solutions and emphasizes the need for equitable policies to ensure gains in AI also benefit the Global South.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, a prominent UN official and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, tackles pressing issues around energy poverty and AI. She discusses how AI could potentially alleviate energy access challenges while cautioning against the risk of a widening digital divide, particularly for nations in the Global South. Ogunbiyi emphasizes innovative solutions in Nigeria that connect energy access to gender equality and underlines the importance of local data collaboration. Her insights spotlight the need for equitable energy solutions in the face of a changing climate.