Oct 14 2025, Nigeria & Kenya: Five unique consumer campaigns are beginning in Nigeria and Kenya, aimed at improving lives by changing public attitudes towards clean renewable energy and ending the use of highly damaging fossil fuel generators.
The ground-breaking projects are launching the research and design phase of a €1m localised awareness-raising campaign funded by ZE-Gen with support from IKEA Foundation. The methods include:
- a TV broadcast set in Lagos blending documentary making with TV storytelling to track and visualise the effects of switching to renewables
- a campaign for female entrepreneurs that demystifies solar technology, explains financing options, and guides MSMEs through the transition process
- new tools and messaging to empower Lagos-based SMEs to make the switch to renewables
- combining behavioural science with effective communication to increase trust, awareness and adoption of renewable energy by micro and small businesses in Kenya
- social media campaigns, online curriculums and community roadshows about the benefits of renewable energy, along with outreach partnerships with trade organisations.
In drawing on behaviour change science the ZE-Gen research projects aim to encourage people and businesses to switch to renewable energy in place of polluting fossil fuel generators, which have health risks, unpredictable fuel costs and cause significant noise and pollution.
Globally, around 1.5 billion people live with weak, unreliable grids, or without access to electricity. More than 82.6 million fossil fuel generators are in use worldwide and have historically dominated the market due to their availability, upfront cost, and perceived reliability, however, high quality renewable-powered generators are cleaner, quieter, and overall more cost-effective.
ZE-Gen is an international initiative championing renewable energy to end the use of polluting fossil fuel generators across regions in Africa, South Asia and the Pacific Islands.
The five ZE-Gen funded projects were selected for phase one of the three-phase project following a competitive process with over 80 applicants, with up to €50k in funding per project for strategy and market analysis in October and November 2025. The projects are all eligible to apply for the follow-on funding to pilot and deliver the campaigns at scale in the next stages of the ZE-Gen project.
Lily Beadle, ZE-Gen lead at Carbon Trust, said:
“Locally-led behavioural change campaigns are crucial in enabling people and businesses to seize the huge opportunities that come from using renewable energy. These new ZE-Gen projects have the power to transform lives and economies at scale and helping to end the use of fossil fuel generators and so we’re excited to see their impact.”
The five successful projects are:
Kenya – MSMEs – Urban and Peri-Urban areas
OWN & Associates Ltd and Busara have partnered to carry out foundational and market research grounded in behavioural science to develop communication strategy to increase trust, awareness and adoption of renewable energy.
Wayua Mululu, Program Manager, OWN said:
“By combining behavioural science with the voices of real entrepreneurs, we’re helping Kenya’s MSMEs move beyond costly generators towards cleaner more reliable power-building trust, resilience, and a long-term partnership with ZE-Gen and the Carbon Trust”
Nigeria – Lagos – families and MSMEs in the Alimosho Local Government Area
Flip the Switch is a behavioural change campaign that blends documentary-making with reality TV storytelling and community engagement through a roadshow and a public competition platform – the Flip Scoreboard – to track and visualize switching behaviour. It will test the effectiveness of narrative-driven demand generation tools in real-world settings.
Nina Mbah, Project Director, African Climate Stories said:
“Everyday Lagos residents who currently rely on fossil fuel generators are at the heart of this docu-reality show approach which makes renewable energy into something people can see, feel, and be inspired to try.
Families and small business owners in Lagos live with daily power cuts, along with and noise and pollution from fuel generators so we’ll make switching from fossil fuel generators to clean energy into a shared community journey and follow real people ‘flipping the switch’, so others can see it’s possible too.”
Nigeria – Female-entrepreneurs in MSMEs – Across 15 states
On-line and off-line campaign targeting Female-led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) providing last-mile energy solutions in Nigeria. The approach uses targeted awareness and capacity-building initiatives.
The project combines Anfani’s expertise in clean energy financing with Solar Sister’s experience in empowering women entrepreneurs.
A practical, user-friendly curriculum and engagement strategy that demystifies solar technology, explains financing options, and guides MSMEs through the transition process.
Anica Sarmiento, Project Manager, Anfani said:
“At Anfani and Solar Sister, we are proud to be part of the ZE-Gen Demand Generation programme, a bold step toward empowering Nigeria’s small businesses to transition from costly fossil fuel generators to reliable, clean solar energy. Small and micro-enterprises are the engine of our economy, yet many remain locked out of the energy transition due to a lack of accessible information and financing pathways.
This initiative changes that. Through a practical, easy-to-understand curriculum delivered both online and in communities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, we’re equipping entrepreneurs with the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to embrace solar solutions and grow sustainably. This project is about more than clean energy, it’s about unlocking economic resilience and opportunity.”
Nigeria – Lagos
– Tilt House with Sun King and Integrity
Creating targeted social media campaigns that focus on building public trust in solar power..
Sam Viney, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Tilt House said:
“Solar has arrived. It is affordable, reliable, and delivers a better quality of life than the polluting, costly diesel generators still ubiquitous across Africa, especially in Nigeria. The challenge we face now is helping people make the switch. Nigerians are among the world’s heaviest social media users, spending hours online every day.
Our ZE-Gen project will harness this dynamic digital culture to accelerate that shift. By combining behavioural science, creative digital outreach, and a targeted micro-influencer strategy, we’ll reach generator users where they are — on social and online — and guide them toward a cleaner, smarter energy choice.”
Nigeria – SMEs – Lagos
– Youth Sustainable Development Network/Next Gen Global Frontier/Kiru Energy
This campaign is targeting Lagos-based SMEs in commercial hubs in Idumota and Ikeja Computer Village, where energy costs consume over 40% of SME profits. The campaign will build trust in solar technology, clarify costs, and promote peer validation. Delivered in partnership with trade associations, women market leaders, and agencies such as SMEDAN and ASBON, Insights. from engagements with the Energy Transition Office and other stakeholders will inform the design of tools and messaging that empower SMEs to make the switch confidently and sustainably.
Damilola Hamid Balogun. CEO and Co-founder, Youth Sustainable Development Network said:
“We are excited about the Powering Lagos SMEs project because it is about making real impact. It is helping business owners in Ikeja and Idumota reduce their dependence on noisy, expensive generators and see that solar can reliably power their businesses.
To get here, we spoke with over 400 small businesses, engaged generator distributors, and met with market leaders to understand their real energy challenges. Now we are turning those insights into action, installing solar demo solutions right in the markets so traders can see them work, build trust, and start saving money. This project is about making clean energy practical and accessible for the people who need it most.”
Notes for Editors
Background Information: ZE-Gen
Launched at COP27, ZE-Gen, is the leading international initiative working to improve the lives of people across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Pacific Islands by driving the use of renewable energy in place of polluting fossil fuel generators.
ZE-Gen is a collaborative initiative by Carbon Trust and Innovate UK and has an ambition to mobilise £100m of funding to inspire action.
To date, ZE-Gen has catalysed £40m, including support from the IKEA and has supported more than 35 localised renewable energy projects across Nigeria, the Philippines, Cote d’Ivoire, Fiji, South Africa, Malawi and Uganda.
The Carbon Trust leads on ZE-Gen’s investments into financial mechanisms, research activities, outreach and strategy, with input and oversight across the whole ZE-Gen programme.
Innovate UK is responsible for delivering grant funding to advance renewable technology through the ZE-Gen Innovation Fund.
For more information please contact: ze-gen@carbontrust.com
Visit the ZE-Gen programme website – https://www.ze-gen.org
Snapshot overview of projects:
| Location | Campaign | Organisation(s) | Target Audience | Delivery Method |
| Kenya – Urban/ Peri-urban areas | Behavioural diagnostics | OWN Associates | MSMEs | Behavioural diagnostics, local communication formats, stakeholder-informed roadmap |
| Nigeria – Lagos | Flip the Switch campaign – testing narrative-driven demand generation tools in real-world settings. | African Climate Stories | General public and communities | Community engagement with Reality TV storytelling, roadshow, Flip Scoreboard public platform |
| Nigeria (15 states) | Curriculum and engagement strategy | Anfani & Solar Sister | Female-led MSMEs and last-mile energy entrepreneurs | Online and offline curriculum, capacity-building workshops, awareness campaigns |
| Nigeria – Lagos | Social media campaign to build product trust | Tilt House with Sun King & Integrity | Consumers sceptical about solar product reliability | Social media |
| Nigeria – Lagos: Idumota/ Ikeja Computer Village | Solar adoption for SMEs in commercial hubs | Kiru Energy, Youth Sustainable Development Network, Next Gen Global Frontier, SMEDAN, ASBON, Energy Transition Office | SMEs in high-energy-cost commercial hubs | Partnerships with trade associations, Peer validation |