SEforALL Board approves term renewal of CEO Damilola Ogunbiyi

Ms. Ogunbiyi becomes the first CEO to be renewed for a second five-year term reflecting tremendous results and impact under her leadership

VIENNA, June 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Governance Board approved the reappointment of Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi to a second five-year term as Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership, the organization has made great strides to enable just, equitable and sustainable energy transitions that ensure a better quality of life and opportunities for people living in developing regions.  

Recognized as a trailblazer during her first term, which began in 2020, Ms. Ogunbiyi led an ambitious expansion of SEforALL's global influence and country support, providing clear pathways to accelerate progress towards universal energy access and advancing a just and equitable energy transition in countries that are at greatest risk of being left behind. In this period, SEforALL, through a range of innovative programmes and initiatives, established working relationships with over 200 partners, and supported over 90 countries globally.

SEforALL has prioritized evidence-based support to in-country capacity building that is driving policy, project, and ecosystem action with sustainable energy solutions towards climate and development priorities. Concretely, SEforALL has achieved the following impacts in under five years:

• USD 1.3 trillion in commitments expressed through Energy Compacts to support the achievement of SDG7. SEforALL, in partnership with UN-Energy, spearheaded the Energy Compacts, enabling the first-time capture of energy specific voluntary SDG7 commitments, aligned with Nationally Determined Contributions.
• 129,000,000 people have gained access to electricity and 22,000,000 people have gained access to clean cooking through Energy Compact commitments.
• Raised USD 40 million as subsidy to bridge the gap for new mini-grid and high capacity standalone solar systems that supported Sierra Leone, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Nigeria through the Universal Energy Facility (UEF), a results-based financing facility and multi-donor platform managed by SEforALL.
• 330 young women from the Global South trained in the sustainable energy sector and benefited from career development.
• Supported eight Presidencies of the G20 & COP – Saudia Arabia, Italy, Indonesia, India and Brazil under G20 and the UK, Egypt and the UAE under COP to advance just and equitable energy transitions.
• Supported Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Barbados and Sierra Leone to develop Energy Transition and Investment Plans providing an opportunity for these countries to build energy systems that support economic and social development and achieve net-zero emissions.
• Supported the development of national integrated energy plans (IEPs) to help direct resources effectively and efficiently to help achieve Malawi, Nigeria and Madagascar's goals for electrification and clean cooking access.

The 2024-2026 SEforALL Strategic Plan prioritizes three pillars of work:

• Global advocacy and knowledge dissemination for SDG7 and a just and equitable energy transition.
• Scalable solutions and platforms that develop and provide replicable solutions to address common challenges to regional or global issues.
• Tailored country support to address country-specific needs for a just and equitable energy transition.

Specifically, the plan aims to build international ambition through energy diplomacy and mobilize global coalitions to finance and deliver a just and equitable energy transition; drive verified connections and accelerate private sector deployment of clean energy solutions, including through the continued scale-up of the Universal Energy Facility; and support national action through strategic country-level programmatic support.

Ms Ogunbiyi received congratulatory messages from the Presidents of Ghana and Nigeria, the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Presidents of COP28, The World Bank, The African Development Bank, and The Rockefeller Foundation, the Acting CEO of GEAPP, the Executive Secretary of UNECA and the Executive Director of UNOPS and the CEO of UN Global Compact. To view the full press release visit: https://www.seforall.org/news/seforall-announcement 

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Sustainable Energy for All

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization that works in partnership with the United Nations and leaders in government, the private sector, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies to drive faster action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 – in line with the Paris Agreement on climate. SEforALL works to ensure a clean energy transition that leaves no one behind and brings new opportunities for everyone to fulfill their potential. Learn more about our work at SEforALL.org.

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