LEAP Africa, others initiate solar-powered market stalls for young entrepreneurs

LEAP Africa, Dow and Moon Innovations have initiated the ‘Solar-Powered Market Stalls’ empowerment programme to support young entrepreneurs and women vendors to promote clean energy adoption and inclusive growth.

The initiative was piloted at Alagbole market, a border community along the Lagos–Ogun axis, with activities spanning site assessments, installation, training, and community awareness, as part of the Youth Day of Service (YDoS) 2025 commemoration.

Now in its sixth edition, Youth Day of Service (YDOS) 2025 builds on a series of impactful projects already implemented, with partners such as Lagos Food Bank, 8th Gear, Trash to Treasure and many more.

According to the organisers, the project aims to empower youth and women entrepreneurs by providing reliable, clean solar electricity to 10 existing market stalls. Seven stalls were equipped to power refrigerators, fans, phone charging stations, and lighting in the pilot stage, while three stalls were powered for lighting and fans only.

The installation targeted market stalls that sell frozen food, in addition to solar-powered streetlights were installed across the market to improve nighttime safety and extend trading hours.

“This effort reaffirms our collective commitment to clean energy adoption, inclusive growth, and community empowerment, one stall, one entrepreneur, and one market at a time,” Adebisi Adeoti, MD, Dow, West Africa, said.

According to him, vendors benefited from financial literacy and small business management training, beyond electrification to ensure long-term sustainability and improved income opportunities.

Kehinde Ayeni, executive director, LEAP Africa, said the Youth Day of Service is an annual pan-African campaign designed to harness the creativity, energy, and leadership of African youth through community-led service, to mark the annual International Youth Day by shifting the focus from celebration to action.

“The Youth Day of Service, now in its 6th year, is a testament of our commitment to making meaningful change in the lives of people. We are implementing this solar-powered market stall initiative alongside alumni of LEAP Africa,” Ayeni said.

According to her, the solar-power initiative is more than just powering stalls. She said it is about powering dreams, supporting small businesses, and creating an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs and women to thrive.

Michael Osumune, founder, Moon Innovations, said the solar-powered market stalls initiative is a practical, scalable model for empowering informal traders, especially youth and women with needed tools to thrive. “By combining clean energy with entrepreneurship support, we are setting a model that can be scaled across Nigeria and beyond.”