After competing against 20 other projects during the first ‘Discovery Phase’ of the programme, the Anfani-led consortium is one of just five consortia to have been moved through to the second ‘Lift Off’ phase, that will see them focus on industrial research, product development and testing.
Commenting on the success, Ishaq added: ‘We are all passionate about the cause and have put in a huge amount of work to bring this to life. So, getting through felt like a reward for all that effort, and also recognition of what we are trying to achieve.’
Professor Lucia Corsini, Associate Professor Dr Jesus Lizana and Ana Outeirinho Morgado from Oxford’s Department for Engineering Science are part of the consortium along with doctoral student Bogosi Msutwana. Outside of Oxford, it includes, Sirius-X Energy (Anfani’s Technical Partner in the Phase 1 Discovery Phase) and ThinkClock Battery Labs.
Ishaq graduated from Oxford Saïd with an MBA in 2022. He credits his time at the School with his company’s success, having developed an early concept for Anfani’s role as a renewable energy brokerage firm as part of his Entrepreneurship Project, one of the Oxford MBA’s learning modules.
He said: ‘I cannot overestimate the profound impact my Oxford MBA has had on building the company, and also on me. While the renewable energy brokerage concept was born, in part, in the classroom at Oxford, our resulting projects, like this UK-funded system, would not exist without the invaluable connections I was able to make at the University, including our academic partners. Oxford is an extraordinary place, where not only is the education world class, but the network is like no other.’
Following this second stage, the most successful projects will be put forward to the final ‘Flight’ phase of the ZE-Gen Technology Accelerator, focused on experimental development, involving the demonstration and validation of innovations in-country.
Commenting on their hopes for the future, Gyre Energy co-founder Tom Gibson, who graduated from his Oxford MBA in 2024, said: ‘We’re excited for Gyre Energy to deploy into the Nigeria landscape, accelerating the opportunities that can be unlocked with renewable energy powered off-grid cooling systems globally. As a mission driven startup, we are thrilled to be working alongside this ambitious consortium, led by Anfani, to innovate new solutions for energy access in a practical way. This project is truly a 'coming-together' of the Oxford ecosystem to drive meaningful innovation into action.’
Main picture, front to back: Ishaq Bolarinwa, Michael McKenna, Dougald Coulson, Uche Awosemo, Rosalind Niharika, Professor Lucia Corsini, Bogosi Msutwana, and Nurudeen Issa.
