Prime Highlights:
- Chinwe Udo-Davis, Founder of Instollar Technologies, wins ‘Founder of the Year’ at the 2025 Sustainable Times RISE Awards for driving gender inclusion in Africa’s solar sector.
- The InstallHER initiative trains women with practical solar skills and provides real job opportunities, aiming to build a strong, gender-inclusive workforce.
Key Facts:
- InstallHER is currently training 100 women in its second cohort and plans to reach 10,000 women across Nigeria by 2030.
- Instollar Technologies’ workforce platform hosts over 1,200 vetted technicians, but less than 1% were women before the launch of InstallHER.
Background:
The first Sustainable Times RISE Awards 2025 was held in London to honor leaders creating positive social and environmental change. Among the standout winners of the evening was Chinwe Udo-Davis, Founder of Instollar Technologies, who received the ‘Founder of the Year’ award, sponsored by NatWest.
Udo-Davis was recognised for her pioneering work in building a tech-enabled workforce platform that is reshaping Africa’s clean energy labour market. Instollar Technologies links solar companies with a growing network of skilled gig workers. The platform now has over 1,200 verified technicians.
While reviewing its expanding database, the company discovered a major gender imbalance. Udo-Davis said that of the 1,200 technicians in their workforce, fewer than 1% were women, a gap they needed to address. This insight led to the creation of the InstallHER Initiative, a programme aimed at breaking long-standing barriers that prevent women from entering the solar industry.
With funding from the Acumen Angels Grant, InstallHER is now training a second group of 100 women across Nigeria and plans to train 10,000 women by 2030. The programme teaches practical solar installation and maintenance skills, business and entrepreneurship, and provides opportunities to work in solar sales. Trainees receive support for transport and meals to help them fully participate in the programme.
One success story is Khadijah, who returned to work after a break for marriage and maternity. She did very well in the training, got an internship at Koolboks, earning 60% more than before, and was soon promoted to a permanent Customer Service Agent.
The InstallHER initiative helps Instollar Technologies build a gender-inclusive workforce in Nigeria’s solar industry. By giving women practical skills and real job opportunities, the programme is creating a fairer and stronger clean energy sector.