Social enterprise Solardero Foundation, led by its founder Sayedero Enitan, is confronting Nigeria’s pervasive energy poverty through practical, human-centred renewable energy initiatives designed for underserved and off-grid communities across the country.

With World Bank data revealing that over 86.8 million Nigerians lacked access to electricity in 2023, Solardero is bridging this critical infrastructure gap by equipping students and educational institutions with clean energy tools. To date, the foundation has distributed approximately 6,000 solar-powered school bags featuring integrated solar panels and study lights, allowing children in un-electrified rural settlements to study safely after sunset without relying on hazardous candles or expensive kerosene lamps.

Beyond individual learning solutions, Solardero has expanded its interventions to institutional power systems, donating complete solar electricity setups and digital learning equipment, including laptops, to rural schools across remote locations such as Ibiade, a community that had endured over 20 years without electricity, and Idata in the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos State.

To ensure long-term operational sustainability and local capacity building, the organisation integrates vocational Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics training into its deployments, teaching secondary school students basic solar installation and maintenance alongside certified technicians.

“Our goal is to make life easier by addressing everyday challenges around education, economic opportunity, and safety,” Enitan said, adding that the foundation aims to empower the next generation with practical tools.

“We don’t just bring light into a community; we equip young people with the skills to understand, maintain, and potentially build careers around renewable technology.”

Enitan noted that the initiative operates with a strong commitment to practical impact and self-reliance within the target areas.

“Derived from the Yoruba word meaning ‘to make life easy,’ Solardẹrọ develops solar-enabled educational products, powers rural classrooms, and delivers technical vocational training to empower the next generation,” she explained regarding the core philosophy driving the enterprise.

Operating primarily through personal self-funding and modest commercial product revenues, the social enterprise is actively seeking strategic corporate partnerships and funding to scale its operations, with future plans aimed at expanding school electrification, distributing solar tote bags to extend trading hours for night-market vendors, and deepening vocational energy skills acquisition across additional off-grid regions.