In a continent where over 600 million people still live without electricity, a revolution is taking shape, one powered by batteries. On Thursday, October 9, 2025, Strathmore University’s School of Computing and Engineering Sciences hosted a Battery Technology Workshop that drew together academia, government, private sector players, and development partners. The conversation centred on one question: Can batteries be the key to Africa’s distributed renewable energy future?

“There is an urgent need for energy access, with nearly 600 million Africans still without electricity,” said Jon Exel, Senior Energy Specialist at the World Bank Group. Yet, he struck a hopeful tone, envisioning a future where innovation in battery technology becomes the catalyst for exponential progress across the continent.

Through the World Bank and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative, launched two years ago, over 30 million Africans have already been connected to power. The goal is to reach 300 million by 2030, with half of those connections powered by Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE), a model that decentralises power generation and storage.

“They are enablers of opportunity, jobs, and financial mobilisation. They make distributed renewable energy reliable and scalable,” Exel emphasised.

He revealed that over 530 qualified DRE companies across Africa are already transforming lives through solar home systems, mini-grids, and second-life battery applications. The World Bank, he said, is eager to partner with higher education institutions like Strathmore University to establish a Centre of Excellence that will research, train, and innovate toward achieving Mission 300.

Opening the workshop, Eng. Dr. Julius Butime, Dean, School of Computing and Engineering Sciences, called for a united effort to grow Africa’s battery ecosystem. “Today, we want to deliberate on what is happening in the battery space. How we look at batteries’ end-of-life and how we repurpose them,” he said.

Dr. Butime highlighted the rapid rise of e-mobility in Kenya, noting that as a Faraday Battery Ambassador, he has seen growing global interest in Africa’s role in the battery economy. But challenges remain. “Policy and infrastructure gaps, high costs, and limited manufacturing and recycling capacity are major barriers,” he observed.

He outlined Strathmore’s multifaceted research framework that examines policy review, second-life pilot projects, recycling models, and case studies in Kenya. The goal is to build a circular battery economy that not only powers vehicles and homes but also extends the lifespan of critical resources.

From the private sector, Francis Romano, CEO, Drive Electric & Knights and Apps, provided a glimpse into Kenya’s emerging electric vehicle (EV) battery landscape. He projected that Kenya could have 1.3 to 3 million EV traction batteries by 2040, depending on policy support and market uptake.

“With the right incentives, technician training, and innovation, we can build a thriving second-life battery ecosystem,” Romano said. He called for policy strengthening, private-sector stimulation, and traceability and lifecycle management systems to ensure sustainability. According to Romano, the future of mobility, energy, and sustainability in Africa are intertwined and batteries sit at the heart of it all.

Throughout the workshop, collaboration as a catalyst for change was a recurring theme in every discussion. “We cannot do this alone,” Dr. Butime reminded participants. “We need all corners, government, academia, and industry, to come together.”

That collaboration is precisely what Jon Exel envisions through the World Bank’s partnership model. By linking global expertise with local innovation, the Bank aims to accelerate Africa’s energy access transition while creating new pathways for research, capacity building, and job creation.

Adding a regulatory and safety dimension, Winfred Mwende Kimuya, Metrology Officer, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), spoke on Battery Management Systems and international safety compliance.

As the workshop ended, a panel discussion led by Dr. Victor Rop explored the immense opportunities emerging within Africa’s battery ecosystem, emphasising the need to align innovation with market realities.

The workshop also saw presentations on Second-Life Batteries: Turning E-Waste into Opportunity in Kenya, showcasing how discarded EV and solar batteries can be repurposed. These discussions underlined the economic and environmental value of building a circular battery economy that minimises waste while maximising impact.

Indeed, Africa’s energy future will be built by a coalition of innovators, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders working together. At its heart will be batteries, quiet, compact, and transformative, powering homes, vehicles, and entire communities toward a sustainable, electrified future.

Article written by Stephen Wakhu.