Ben Wallingford, Regional Manager for Anglophone Africa, will participate in the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo 2020 during February 18-20 in Nairobi, Kenya. Ben will be a speaker in the session Innovation is outpacing regulation: how does regulation catch-up? Learnings from adjacent sectors. More and more customers value the services offered by PAYGo companies. With a continuously increasing market share PAYGo is on the rise, unlocking tremendous social impact by offering goods and services that go beyond energy access, including school loans, health insurance, or higher value social goods such as water tanks and bikes. In the absence of firm regulation, the PAYGo business model was able to continue innovation, putting it on the right track for scale. On the flip side, operating in a regulatory grey area also poses a significant risk to a growing industry as well as the consumer. But while regulation might help companies and customers to gain more planning security and clarity if done well, poorly designed regulations could drastically hurt market development. Finding a balanced approach to regulation is crucial. This session will explore learnings from other sectors on different approaches to regulation and the lessons learnt on the way.
The Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo, organized by GOGLA and The World Bank Group’s Lighting Global Program, is the premier meeting of the off-grid solar sector providing a unique platform for knowledge exchange, networking and showcasing off-grid solar products and services. The event aims to accelerate the development of the global off-grid solar market contributing to achieving universal energy access by 2030.