Youth Led Solutions to Global Challenges
Tafiti Research and Innovation Hub | ODA
Masinde Muliro University of Science and technology
Regional Insights for Sustainable Empowerment (RISE) is a digital platform created to improve transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in aid-funded development projects across Kenya and Africa. It tackles corruption, weak monitoring, and the exclusion of community voices by enabling real-time project tracking, data verification, and direct engagement between citizens, donors, and organizations. With features such as project exploration, progress tracking, and report generation, RISE empowers youth and communities to act as accountability agents while giving donors reliable evidence of impact.
Rise 30 | Amazonia
University Of Eastern Africa, Baraton
RISE30 is a youth-powered climate data and action hub launched in Kenya to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge, grassroots initiatives, and global climate influence. The project addresses deforestation, biodiversity loss, and land degradation by transforming complex climate data into actionable, community-driven playbooks while validating impact through photo, GPS, and timestamp verification. With both online and offline tools, RISE30 mobilizes young people into “local climate cells,” empowering them to track deforestation, protect forests and water towers, and connect their actions to national policies and global platforms such as COP30 and Amazon protection.
Cycle Power | Renewables in Africa
Masinde Muliro University of Science and technology
CycleCharge Power is a human-powered clean energy solution designed to address unreliable electricity access and costly power alternatives in Kenya. By recycling old car alternators and lead-acid batteries from garages and scrap yards, the system converts kinetic energy from pedaling a bicycle into stored electricity, which can then power household appliances such as LED bulbs, fans, and phone chargers. The project provides an affordable and sustainable alternative to kerosene lamps and diesel generators, reducing indoor air pollution, carbon emissions, and deforestation.
Solar Bridge | Renewables in Africa
Egerton University
SolarBridge project proposes policy and financing solutions to expand off-grid solar in rural Kenya, advancing energy access and climate action.
Renew Rural | Renewables in Africa
University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho.
Unlocking Ghana’s Renewable Future examines the policy–implementation gap that has slowed rural electrification despite Ghana’s progressive renewable energy frameworks. While the Renewable Energy Master Plan envisions diverse technologies, deployment remains solar-heavy, hindered by financing barriers, unclear mini-grid ownership, and limited local capacity. The project proposes five integrated solutions: a technology-neutral Off-Grid Facility, local-currency financing via the Bank of Ghana, district-level training and micro-loans, expansion of community solar farms with pilots in wind and micro-hydro, and stronger regulatory enforcement for net metering and service agreements.
Youth led pathways for accelerating renewable energy development in rural Nigeria | Renewables in Africa
Convenant University
The report proposes youth-led solutions such as campus-based solar hubs, student cooperatives, energy entrepreneurship boot camps, and awareness campaigns. These initiatives not only expand clean energy access but also build technical skills, foster community ownership, and link renewable energy with education and innovation.