Phanes Group (PhanesGroup.com), an international end-to-end solar developer headquartered in Dubai, UAE, has announced Mr. Justin Nseya and his Congo Green Energy Project (2 x 50 MW) as the winner of the third edition of its Solar Incubator. The announcement was made at the “Unlocking Solar Capital: Africa” conference in Dakar, Senegal, where three finalists presented their proposal to a panel of international industry experts from Power Africa, ECREEE, 3E, Solarplaza and Phanes Group.

“We are proud to announce Justin Nseya as the winner of this year’s Solar Incubator. It was a close call, as again there was some tough competition – all the finalists presented projects which had the ability to transform their communities positively in many ways. There is a great deal of talent on the continent who have amazing potential to benefit from our platform, which is why we want to continue the initiative,” said Andrea Haupts, COO of Phanes Group.

Maintaining a long-term stake in the project, Mr. Nseya and Phanes Group will work collaboratively, aiming to bring the solar energy project to financial close. The Solar Incubator phase will kick off with an intensive face-to-face workshop for Mr. Nseya in Dubai, UAE, where he will work with Phanes Group’s team and its incubator partners to set the foundations to deliver a bankable project. During that phase, Mr. Nseya will gain access to commercial and technical know-how covered by experts from project finance, project development and execution, legal, marketing and CSR, followed by further remote mentoring sessions in the succeeding months.

“Mr. Nseya’s project convinced the evaluation panel, not only with its strong CSR component but especially with his knowledge and commitment to the region where he hails from. He showed strong determination to bring his project to life in a challenging market environment. We believe this is where Phanes Group and its incubator partners can create the most positive impact, through the workshop and ongoing mentoring and knowledge sharing,” Mrs. Haupts added. “We look forward to welcoming him to Dubai and want to encourage the other candidates to keep persevering in bringing their proposals to fruition, as everyone would have deserved to win.”

The goal of the Phanes Group Solar Incubator, held under the theme, “Your Project, Our Expertise, For a Sustainable Future,” is to provide access to commercial and technical knowledge, and eventually funding, to promising locally developed PV projects in sub-Saharan Africa, and to help entrepreneurs overcome obstacles that could prevent solar initiatives from reaching fruition.

For more information regarding the Phanes Group Solar Incubator, please visit our webpage www.PhanesGroup.com/incubator