For Nthabiseng Mosia, the pursuit of energy justice is not a career, it is a calling born from lived experience. Raised between Ghana and South Africa, she understood early on what it meant to live without power. The dark, quiet hours of blackout-stricken nights were more than inconvenient; they shaped a belief that access to light, to power, is access to dignity and opportunity.
While pursuing a Master’s degree in energy finance and policy at Columbia University, she began imagining a different reality for energy-poor communities across Africa. That vision crystallized into action in 2016, when she co-founded Easy Solar, a startup determined to make clean, affordable energy accessible to those the grid had long forgotten. The choice of Sierra Leone as the starting point was no coincidence. After years of civil war and underinvestment, fewer than one percent of rural households had electricity. It was there, in the neglected spaces beyond Freetown, that Nthabiseng and her team began to power possibility.
The first customers were hesitant. Many had only ever known kerosene lanterns and unreliable diesel generators. But as Easy Solar’s kits brought light to homes across rural communities, skepticism gave way to trust. One after another, families traded in their dangerous fuels for solar-powered lamps and appliances. Light meant safety. It meant children could study at night, businesses could stay open, and health clinics could function without fear of darkness.
Since its founding, Easy Solar has impacted the lives of over one million people in Sierra Leone and Liberia. It has expanded to more than 400 sales outlets, reaching deep into underserved regions, creating a wide network of trust and access. The company did more than deliver solar panels; it introduced an entirely new way of thinking about ownership. By offering pay-as-you-go financing, customers could own energy equipment without prohibitive upfront costs. That model, grounded in both technology and financial empathy, made clean power a reality for households surviving on inconsistent incomes.
The impact has been remarkable. Easy Solar has helped avoid over 100,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, while saving customers tens of millions of dollars in energy costs. Just as importantly, it has created over 800 local jobs, with a workforce that includes a high number of women in leadership positions. It is not just a solar company; it is a force for structural and social inclusion.
Real stories speak louder than numbers. A small shop owner in Liberia shared how her solar-powered lights allowed her to extend her working hours and grow her income. A schoolteacher in a remote village told how students now read into the evening, preparing for futures once considered unreachable. These are not abstract successes, they are everyday victories for people who were once in the dark.
Nthabiseng’s leadership has drawn international recognition. She has been honored by the World Economic Forum, Forbes Africa, Bloomberg, and Time Magazine, not for ambition, but for her commitment to impact. Yet despite the accolades, her work remains grounded in community. She sees energy not as a commodity, but as a public good. In her world, electricity is not just about wires and grids. It is about agency, equity, and self-determination.
What sets Nthabiseng apart is not just her entrepreneurial acumen, but her unwavering belief that every African girl and boy deserves the light to dream, to learn, and to build. Through Easy Solar, she is turning that belief into daily, tangible change.
In powering homes and businesses, she is powering futures. In lighting villages, she is illuminating voices long overlooked. And in a region where possibility once flickered faintly, Nthabiseng Mosia is making it shine.
