The United Kingdom-backed Ayrton Fund has expanded access to clean energy for 46 million people across emerging economies, while helping to mobilise more than £3 billion in public and private finance and supporting over 256,000 green jobs.

The figures underscore the growing importance of clean energy investment in generating employment, encouraging innovation and creating new opportunities for businesses across emerging markets.

The development was announced ahead of the Ayrton-Oxford Academic Symposium at the University of Oxford, which brought together academics, industry representatives, government officials and innovators to strengthen collaboration around clean energy research and development.

According to the fund, its programmes have established a global research and innovation ecosystem spanning 100 countries. The network includes 78 universities and more than 840 innovators, academics and delivery partners.

The initiative has also supported the development of technologies aimed at helping businesses and communities dealing with energy access challenges. The fund said its collaborations have resulted in 191 technology patent applications and contributed to more than 2,400 research papers.

The expansion of clean energy investment is also creating opportunities for small businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators across renewable energy, energy efficiency, technology development, manufacturing and other areas of the green economy.

Organisers said the Oxford symposium would examine ways to strengthen cooperation between universities, innovators, policymakers and investors in order to accelerate energy access, climate resilience and sustainable economic development.

Caroline Ward, Senior International Funds Manager at UK Research and Innovation, said the gathering would contribute to deeper collaboration throughout the clean energy value chain, while helping attract investment and speed up the development of clean energy solutions.

The Africa Oxford Initiative also drew attention to the increasing contribution of African researchers to the development of responses to energy poverty and the continent’s transition towards greener economies.

Education and skills development have formed another part of the programme’s impact.

Professor Misbahu Ladan Mohammed of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, said involvement in the Transforming Energy Access Learning Partnership had contributed to strengthening the university’s Master of Science Renewable Energy Programme.

Through the partnership, two practical courses were introduced, focusing on locally developed solutions for energy access and appliances designed for off-grid communities.

Mohammed said the courses are enabling students to go beyond classroom theory by exposing them to technologies suited to local conditions as well as market-ready solutions addressing Nigeria’s energy challenges.

The development could strengthen the supply of skilled workers and entrepreneurs required to expand Nigeria’s renewable energy ecosystem, particularly as businesses and communities look for alternatives to unreliable electricity supply.

Mohammed also urged African universities to take a stronger role in determining energy education and innovation strategies instead of functioning primarily as recipients of external assistance.

The first phase of the Ayrton Fund ran from 2021 to 2026 and was implemented through 40 UK-funded programmes involving more than 1,000 partners around the world.

Its second phase is already underway and is scheduled to continue until 2030, creating further opportunities for partnerships focused on clean energy innovation, investment and skills development.

The continued funding comes as Nigeria and other African countries pursue decentralised renewable energy solutions to tackle persistent gaps in electricity access, particularly in rural and off-grid communities.

For micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the growth of the green economy could provide opportunities in areas including solar installation, equipment maintenance, energy technology, research, recycling, manufacturing and clean-energy services.

As clean energy investment expands, stronger connections between finance, research, skills development and entrepreneurship will be important to enabling African businesses to participate in and benefit from the emerging green economy.

Source: msmeafricaonline