Nigerian youth innovator Stanley Anigbogu has repurposed nearly 30,000 discarded plastic bottles weighing about 600kg to build a solar-powered community energy hub for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Abuja.

The founder of LightEd established the Lighthouse for Peace project at Durumi IDP camp, where 30 solar streetlights and 20 floodlights provide illumination. The facility also enables residents to charge more than 250 devices every week.

Beyond improving access to electricity, the initiative provides children with lighting to study after sunset and creates opportunities for young volunteers to develop green skills.

Anigbogu, who was named the 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, is among two African innovators expected to present their experiences with sustainable technology at the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Forum.

The other is Uganda’s Shifra Ainomugisha, an entrepreneur and the 2026 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, who uses solar technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to help farmers reduce post-harvest losses.

Through her enterprise, Solafam Uganda Ltd, Ainomugisha deploys solar-powered cold storage facilities, irrigation systems and AI tools to help smallholder farmers preserve produce, improve productivity and increase their earnings.

Anigbogu serves on the 23-member International Taskforce responsible for shaping the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Forum, scheduled for November 2 to 4 in Antigua and Barbuda. The event will take place alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Both innovators are expected to share their experiences and present recommendations on developing solar-powered and AI-enabled solutions at the forum.

Anigbogu founded LightEd in 2020, drawing inspiration from his childhood experience of unreliable electricity. That experience motivated him to develop solutions to energy challenges affecting underserved communities.

Speaking about his mission, he said he wants to “ensure that darkness never limits another child’s ambition.”

Beyond LightEd, Anigbogu founded Artechubs Nigeria to tackle educational challenges through technology. He also established Re-build Inc., a hardware research, development and engineering studio focused on addressing Africa’s infrastructure gap.

Ainomugisha’s work with Solafam Uganda Ltd similarly stems from personal experience. She co-founded and leads the women-led social enterprise after witnessing tomatoes spoil on her family’s farm in western Uganda before they could reach the market.

Solafam addresses these challenges through solar-powered cold rooms that preserve harvested produce and solar irrigation systems that help farmers maintain agricultural activities during dry spells. Its LYN AI platform, accessible through WhatsApp, provides guidance on planting, pest control, irrigation, harvesting and market decisions.

Since 2022, the enterprise has supported more than 1,500 smallholder farmers, 70 per cent of whom are women. Its interventions have helped reduce post-harvest losses by 30 per cent and increase household incomes by 28 per cent.

The two innovators’ work demonstrates how renewable energy and digital technology are being applied to address different community needs, from electricity access and education in displaced communities to food preservation and agricultural productivity.

SOURCE: The Guardian