- Nov 16, 2015 11:00 AM GMT
Kenya’s Multilink Energy is to begin work building a 40MW solar power plant in Mai Mahiu after receiving greenlight from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to complete development process.
The plant will be located in Mai Mahiu, 50km west of Capital Nairobi using 200 acres of semi-arid land to produce 70GWh of clean energy a year.
A Saudi based energy company, Alfanar, will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the solar power plant.
MULTILINK Energy will be responsible for maintenance, and a separate solar asset management company, will oversee the plant’s operation.
Construction will also being carried out in partnership with local partners and electrical contractors.
“This project is the largest solar power plant in East Africa up to now, it is also an important demonstration of our comprehensive solar energy solutions to effectively deliver clean, affordable and reliable solar energy in Kenya,” said Michael, CEO of MULTILINK Energy.
Multi-link Group has been selected as one of the firms from around the globe that will benefit from the 2015 GSBI Accelerator programme.
The GSBI Accelerator highlights investment readiness as a central theme. It partners with the Impact Capital program, which provides thought leadership in coordinating appropriate capital and financial innovation. Together, these programs address disconnects in investment readiness in the social enterprise ecosystem, as articulated by impact investors and social entrepreneurs alike. Impact investors helped architect the 2013 GSBI Accelerator.
The GSBI Accelerator helps social entrepreneurs understand and fill gaps in their organizations that prevent them from achieving scale and helps them identify and find appropriate capital to rapidly increase their impact. Embracing impact investors as a constituency in capacity development helps social entrepreneurs demystify the fundraising challenge by conveying what investors seek; it also highlights the work of social enterprises to appropriate financial capital sources.
The GSBI Accelerator addresses several key needs as social enterprises prepare to scale:
Business model evaluation and refinement
Financing plan for scaling and preparation for diligence
Operational excellence at scale
Organizational development and talent management
Marketing strategy and execution
Mentoring is at the core of the GSBI Accelerator program. Each social entrepreneur selected as a part of a cohort is paired with two Silicon Valley executive mentors and one Local Mentor.
Multi-link Group was represented at this year’s SOCAP14 by MD Michael Njoroge.
SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) is dedicated to increasing the flow of capital toward social good. Its unique approach emphasizes cross-sector convening and gathers voices across a broad spectrum to catalyze unexpected connections. From the leading edge to established players, SOCAP brings together global innovators, investors, foundations, governments, institutions, and social entrepreneurs to build the world we want to leave to future generations. This years Theme was “Igniting Change”. SOCAP actively seek out opportunities to accelerate the market at the intersection of money and meaning and, in pursuit of that goal, have convened more than 10,000 people since its founding in 2008. The 2014 flagship event took place September 2nd-5th at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, USA.
Multi-link Group’s MD Michael visited China from May 18th 2014 during which he visited a number of Chinese stove manufacturing businesses and discussed potential areas of partnership and collaboration. During the visit Michael had an opportunity to address a well-attended GACC International Conference on the issue of South-South China Africa collaboration where he stressed the need for Chinese and African businesses to collaborate on stove design, manufacturing and assembly for mutual benefits and growth. This immensely rewarding trip was facilitated by the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
Multi-Link Group through Multilink Foundation has donated Ksh. 5 Million to Amani Children Centre in Uasin Gishu County. The money is meant to improve access and quality of education for needy students through support for scholarships, learning materials and construction of classrooms. The donation was received by the centre’s director Shadrack Kimani in the presence of the overjoyed children.
During the Annual General Meeting of the Clean Cookstoves Association of Kenya (CCAK) held at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi on 31st October 2013, Multi_Link Group Managing Director, Michael Njoroge, was elected as an official of the CCAK to serve as the National Vice Chairman for a period of 3 years. This is a great opportunity for him to bring the wealth of experience acquired in the last three years to enrich the sector.
CCAK is the Kenyan affiliate of The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC) which seeks to mobilize high-level national and donor commitments toward the goal of universal adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels. Its ambitious but achievable goal is to foster the adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels in 100 million households by 2020. The Alliance is mobilizing support from a wide range of private, public, and non-profit stakeholders.
The Registrar of Societies has on the 15th of May 2013 registered the Clean Cookstoves Association of Kenya (CCAK). The Director of Multilink, M Njoroge seats in the Secretariat of CCAK.
The Clean Cookstoves Association of Kenya (CCAK) is a national association that strives to build solidarity amongst clean cookstove and fuel stakeholders and create effective partnerships to ensure the use of clean cookstoves and fuels is the norm in Kenyan households and institutions.
The CCAK’s mission is to facilitate the increased innovation in design, testing, production, marketing and use of clean cookstoves and fuel through better government policies, increased public awareness, micro-finance opportunities and capacity building through information sharing, training and campaigning. The CCAK is open to all types of stakeholders operating in the clean cooking and fuel sector including private sector, governmental, non-governmental organisations, academic, research and donors.
The CCAK is a partner of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private initiative led by the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women and preserve the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean cooking solutions.