A Kenyan firm has been listed as a finalist in the climate innovation awards by Ashden Climate Solutions in Action.
Revealing the finalists for its 2023 awards, Ashden, which is a climate charity said there are eight finalists in various categories from the Global South.
Usafi Green Energy Limited was listed as one of two finalists under the Ashden Award for empowering refugees and displaced people.
The group manufactures and supplies affordable, low-carbon cookstoves at the Kakuma Refugee Camp.
This has seen the creation of jobs and health improvement for displaced people and host communities.
It was listed alongside Nigeria's Care for Social Welfare International.
Ashden has partnered with Global Refugee-Led Network in the award, which will see the winner get a prize of £25,000 (Sh4,603,082.34).
Further, three Kenyan firms managed to get to the shortlist in three different award categories.
Under the Ashden Award for Powering Future in Clean Energy, Kenya's Women in Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship (WISEe) was shortlisted alongside a Sierra Leone organisation.
WISEe provides training, hands-on skills, mentorship and networking opportunities.
Under the category, a Nigerian firm emerged among the finalists with an organisation from Senegal.
Farmer Lifeline Technologies, a Kenyan firm that helps farmers beat bests and diseases with an affordable solar-powered device was shortlisted under the category for an award for powering agriculture.
The device scans crops for signs of danger. The other shortlisted firm was from India.
The finalists are Collectives for Integrated Livelihoods Initiative (CInI) from India and Zimbabwe's Mobility for Africa.
Under the Ashden Award for Integrated Energy Africa which aims to boost the continent's clean energy pioneers, Husk Power(Nigeria) and Uganda's Power for All have been shortlisted.
Kenya's Aceleron was shortlisted alongside Beacon Power Services, Pan-Africa.
Aceleron is a factory focusing on repurposing waste batteries and turning them into energy storage technology for homes, offices and electric vehicles.
The awards will be announced on Monday during the African Climate Summit.
Head of Awards at Ashden, Stephen Hall lauded the finalists for innovating ways to raise income and improve health, even with the challenges in climate financing.
"Our finalists show the huge power of clean energy to raise incomes, protect health, and create opportunity for women and young people," he said.
"All while putting countries on the path to a zero-carbon future. And even more impressive when we consider how little climate finance actually reaches innovators in the Global South."
He called for financing for innovators to be prioritised in the climate talks.
"We urge funders and politicians to put energy access centre-stage at this week's Africa Climate Summit, COP28 and other major climate moments," Hall said.
"It's vital we unlock new and effective finance for energy access solutions – and that it reaches frontline organisations like those on our shortlist."
