Yusuf Ebiti
Solad Power Group, a leading decentralised energy solutions provider in Nigeria, has announced that Yewande Olagbende will join the Group’s Board of Directors after successfully leading its Nigerian operations.
Olagbende joined Solad in 2018 and has since played a central role in building its
Nigerian operations, establishing Solad as a recognised participant in Nigeria’s rapidly developing distributed clean energy sector and positioning it strongly within the country’s Just Energy Transition.
Her appointment to the Group leadership team is a natural progression of this work.
Under her leadership, the Nigerian business expanded its business in mini-grids,
stand-alone solar systems, commercial and industrial solar, solar home systems and
decentralised energy infrastructure. It also developed the operational capability to
deliver and maintain energy solutions across multiple States.
Olagbende brings more than 20 years of professional experience spanning banking and energy. Before entering the energy sector, she worked with leading international financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Schroders and Barclays.
Since returning to Nigeria, she has focused on developing and deploying energy solutions for unserved and underserved businesses and communities.
Her appointment also reflects a principle that has guided Solad since inception: an
African energy business must develop and empower African leaders!
Chairman and Co-Founder of Solad Power Group, Constantine ‘Labi Ogunbiyi, said:
“Yewande’s progression within Solad is thoroughly deserved and reflects the kind of
organisation we are building. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commercial judgement, consistently translating strategy into execution on the ground.
“More importantly, Yewande has built the team and operating platform that
underpin our ambitions in Nigeria. As Solad enters its next stage of development, the
leaders who have built our operating businesses should increasingly contribute at
Group level.”
Commenting on her appointment to the board, Olagbende said:
“I am incredibly proud of what the Solad team has built in Nigeria, and I am excited to help shape the Group’s next phase of development.
“Energy access is ultimately about people. Reliable electricity helps businesses grow,
families improve their livelihoods and communities participate more fully in the
economy. Our responsibility is to deliver that impact at significantly greater scale through commercially sustainable solutions.
“I am particularly proud of the team we have developed at Solad and of the
opportunities we continue to create for talented young people, including women
across various disciplines, to build careers and take leadership positions within Africa’s energy sector.”
Solad’s leadership philosophy places particular emphasis on inclusion, local capability and creating pathways through which talented professionals can progress into senior management.
At Solad, inclusion is not simply a corporate policy; It is integral to the Group’s
business model. The communities Solad serves, the entrepreneurs who depend upon reliable
electricity and the teams that deliver and maintain its energy infrastructure are
overwhelmingly African. A sustainable energy company therefore needs leadership
that reflects the markets and communities in which it operates.
Solad’s approach reflects a wider transformation underway in Africa’s energy
industry. Decentralised clean energy infrastructure is expanding access while creating
opportunities for engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and a new generation of
African energy leaders. Solad believes that strong governance and experienced Board oversight, combined with empowered local management, are fundamental to building a scalable and
sustainable African energy platform.
Ogunbiyi added: “Our objective is not simply to develop clean energy assets and infrastructure, but to build an African energy company capable of operating them successfully over the long term. That requires capital and technology, but above all it requires the right people. Developing exceptional leaders such as Yewande and giving them the platform to lead is central to that strategy.”