What role are women playing in providing solar power and ensuring that vulnerable communities have access to cheaper and cleaner energy? Kim Chakanetsa talks to an electrical engineer working in the US and Nicaragua, and a Nigerian entrepreneur.

Anna Bautista is vice president of construction at GRID Alternatives, a large non-profit solar company that works with low-income communities across America and in Nicaragua. Her career as an electrical engineer started in the private sector where she worked as a site supervisor, trainer, and design and installation technician on residential and commercial PV (photovoltaic) projects.

Olasimbo Sojinrin is the chief operating officer of Solar Sisters, an enterprise selling solar powered lamps and electrical appliances to women living in off-grid communities across Africa. Growing up in Nigeria, her life was dictated by power outages, so she decided to empower other women by finding sustainable and affordable solutions to the energy problem.

Producer: Jane Thurlow

(Image: (L) Anna Bautista, courtesy Anna Bautista. (R) Olasimbo Sojinrin, courtesy Olasimbo Sojinrin)