Yewande is a first class BSc. graduate of Business Economics from Brunel University. Soon after that, she began her 10-year career in banking and worked for top banks including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Schroders and Barclays within investment management operations.
In 2012, she moved back to Nigeria to positively impact her country. She always says I ‘fell into’ the Energy sector.
She was involved in a number of capacity building programs in the Power sector and the deployment of a large number of solar systems to unserved communities which included schools.
In 2018, she joined Solad and she is currently the MD/CEO. Yewande is extremely passionate about renewables and she is responsible for driving the Solad vision to help light up Nigeria.
Recently, Solad Power Group connected its 10,000th small business to affordable and reliable power across its portfolio of mini-grids in Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in the company’s growth and development.
Olagbende said this is an initiative they are extremely proud of, and a clear validation of the unmet demand for affordable and reliable power amongst Nigeria’s millions of small businesses. She adds that this is just the beginning of their journey.
Furthermore, she says that in addition to their existing investment programme to roll out more mini-grids in market clusters across the country, they are now able to provide individual businesses and homes with dedicated power solutions that can be installed rapidly. This she says is an opportunity they are very excited about, allowing them to rapidly expand their customer base further.
“This is particularly important for households and small businesses which have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our ability to provide them with reliable power solutions that simultaneously reduce costs, as well as mitigating the environmental damage associated with power generation means we can embed a sustainable, long term solution at a time it is most needed”.
Solad is a participant in Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Mini Grid component under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). The company is a core investor in the Sura shopping complex, the Sabon Gari market and a joint venture partner in the Virtus portfolio of decentralised energy projects across the country.
Collectively, Solad is an operator of 12 mini-grids across Nigeria, each of which provides clean, affordable and reliable power to market traders.
On the nature of Solad’s partnership with Viathan and Rensource, Yewande says Solad provides the management oversight of Sura Independent Power Limited. “Rensource and Solad have a partnership in the operation of Virtus, which aims to provide power to 10 markets in South West Nigeria. Rensource also operates Sabon Gari market which Solad invested in.” she stated.
