The lights in Lagos, Nigeria, go out between 30 and 60 times a month. When power does flow, it lasts perhaps six to eight hours a day—enough to charge a phone, but not nearly enough to run a factory. It is the same story in Nairobi, Lusaka, and Dakar— cities that are technically electrified.
At a moment when artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and the clean-energy transition are rewriting the global economic order, Africa’s commercial hubs risk getting left behind again—not because they lack wires, but because the electrons flowing through those networks are unreliable, untracked, and leaking.
That is the argument Bim Adisa has been making to utilities, investors, and anyone who will listen. Adisa is the founder and CEO of Beacon Power Services, a Nigerian-based firm that builds data and software solutions for African power grids. His pitch is equal parts engineering lecture and economic manifesto: the path to a more stable, prosperous world runs through the transformer stations of sub-Saharan Africa, and the technology to fix them already exists.
“No economy grows without electricity. It’s fundamental to industrialization, and in the 21st century, to digitization. Africa missed the last industrial revolution. Now we’re having another one, underpinned by electricity. It’s really critical that we fix the electricity problem now,” Adisa told me in a virtual interview.
The common narrative around African electrification fixates on the roughly 600 million people who have no access to electricity at all. That number is real—and damning. But just as important is that somewhere between 500 and 600 million Africans do have grid connections, yet those networks fail them daily.
We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Ije Ikoku Okeke to the Board of Directors.
Ije brings over twenty years of experience in infrastructure investing, renewable energy, and development finance. She has led investments totaling more than $3 billion in energy and infrastructure projects across the United States, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and other emerging markets.
Currently, Ije serves as Managing Director at RMI, where she leads initiatives to expand climate and renewable energy finance in emerging markets. Her work focuses on unlocking capital and establishing partnerships to support sustainable infrastructure growth.
Earlier in her career, Ije helped start CEC Africa, an energy investment platform backed by private equity with about $1 billion in assets focused on power projects. She also held leadership roles at the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank, where she managed investments in telecom, transport, and energy in Latin America and Africa.
In addition to her executive roles, Ije has served on the boards of several infrastructure companies and on advisory boards and investment committees for private equity and venture funds. She has also advised global initiatives, including the Rockefeller Foundation and the MIT Energy Initiative, through the Global Commission to End Energy Poverty.
“We are delighted to welcome Ije to the Beacon Power Services Board,” said Bim Adisa, CEO and Founder of Beacon Power Services. “Her deep experience in energy infrastructure and sustainable investment in Africa and other emerging markets brings a valuable perspective to our Board. Ije’s history of mobilizing capital for infrastructure and energy projects worldwide will be a great asset as we continue to grow and increase our impact.”
Ije earned her MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.
We look forward to the expertise and perspective Ije will contribute to Beacon Power Services.
Symbiotics, the leading market access platform for impact investing, has facilitated a debt facility for Beacon Power Services (BPS). BPS is an energy-tech company that provides data and grid management solutions for electricity utilities, helping improve grid reliability across Africa. The financing will help BPS expand its product offerings in Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, and Togo, primarily by purchasing and deploying smart meters for grid assets, such as substations and transformers.
Electricity grids across Africa are largely unreliable, with customers experiencing frequent and extended power outages. Without a stable grid, many households, businesses, and social facilities depend on expensive self-generated electricity, placing a heavy burden on vulnerable populations.
High distribution losses are among the root causes of poor grid reliability. In Nigeria, for example, grid losses exceed 40% due to outdated infrastructure, electricity theft, and inaccurate billing practices. These inefficiencies severely limit utilities’ ability to reinvest in essential upgrades and maintenance, exacerbating the energy access deficit in the region.
Powered by its proprietary software, developed entirely in Africa, and enabled by a network of field operators, BPS’s solutions are designed to help utilities across the continent increase revenue and reduce grid losses. These solutions include a GIS-enabled platform and a front-end application to map grid assets and customers. It also includes a grid visibility platform to track the flow of electricity from source to customers in real time, and revenue protection functionality to perform network accounting and ensure revenue recovery. The outage management module not only detects the location of outages but also uses AI to preempt and prevent outages.
For most consumers in Africa, the alternative to the grid is self-generation, typically using diesel fuel. As such, by making the grid more reliable, BPS is significantly reducing CO2 emissions. Through its partnerships with electricity distributors in five African countries, BPS currently impacts over 50 million individuals and businesses, providing more reliable electricity.
“Symbiotics is thrilled to support Beacon Power Services in its mission to improve energy access and reliability in Africa. Access to reliable power is key to unlocking economic growth in the region,” said Vincent Lehner, Head of Markets at Symbiotics. “This investment is aligned with our view that companies combining deep knowledge in the challenges on the ground with innovative tech-focused solutions, such as Beacon Power Services, can have transformational social and climate impact in emerging and frontier markets.”
“This debt facility provided by Symbiotics strongly enhances our efforts to modernize electricity distribution in Africa. Deploying smart meters to monitor critical grid assets is essential to reducing grid losses and improving reliability. We appreciate Symbiotics’ support in helping us increase our capacity to serve electricity utilities in building modern grid systems across Africa,” said Bim Adisa, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of BPS.
This partnership aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. It reinforces Symbiotics’ mission to finance high-impact solutions that address climate and social challenges in underserved markets through innovative, scalable approaches.
About Symbiotics Symbiotics is the leading market access platform for impact investing, dedicated to private markets in emerging and frontier economies. The group offers investment, asset management, and capacity building services. Since 2005, we have originated over 8,200 investments representing more than USD 10.5 billion for 608 companies in 99 countries. We manage an aggregate portfolio of USD 2.5 billion spread across 19 funds and mandates. Our portfolio companies have also benefited from over 170 technical assistance projects worth more than USD 19 million. symbioticsgroup.com
About Beacon Power Services
Beacon Power Services (BPS) is a leading energy-tech company delivering data-driven solutions that help African electricity utilities improve grid performance and reliability. BPS provides real-time visibility, smart metering support, and AI-powered tools that help utilities increase revenue, reduce losses, and strengthen grid reliability, all while improving customer satisfaction. Active in Africa, BPS is committed to enabling efficient, modern, and resilient electricity distribution networks across the continent. bpsafrica.com
Beacon Power Services (BPS) is excited to announce our partnership with the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO). This partnership marks a significant milestone in our efforts to support African utilities in overcoming operational challenges and delivering more reliable power to their customers in East Africa.
Utilities across Africa, including TANESCO, face ongoing challenges: limited visibility into their distribution networks, high levels of technical and commercial losses, and slow fault detection and resolution. These issues affect service reliability, revenue protection, and customer satisfaction.
In a recent interview with The Citizen, our CEO, Bim Adisa, explained the driving force behind our solutions: “Many software systems used in the sector are designed for markets outside of Africa and do not take into account the unique realities of African conditions. That’s why we developed our solutions,” he stated.
Our platform is designed to address these pain points directly. Unlike one-size-fits-all systems, our technology is tailored for the African power grid. It offers TANESCO real-time insights into their network, comprehensive monitoring of transformers and other essential assets, as well as early fault detection capabilities that aid in preventing outages and minimizing downtime.
The initial phase of this partnership is already in progress in one of TANESCO’s key districts. Our team is currently mapping every customer, building, and transformer in the area. Once operational, the system will provide TANESCO’s technical teams with actionable insights into the electricity distribution network, allowing for quicker response times and more proactive maintenance.
Our engagement extends beyond just deploying technology. After fully digitizing the initial district, we will focus on a national rollout, progressing one district at a time over the next 18 months. This phased approach will facilitate a smooth transition to complete operational visibility across TANESCO’s entire distribution network.
We are also deeply committed to building local capacity. So far, we have hired a team from Tanzania who are undergoing intensive training to implement, manage, and support the system in the field. As the project grows, we will continue to expand and train the local team to ensure long-term sustainability and effective knowledge transfer.
This partnership with TANESCO enhances our mission to empower African utilities with technology that adapts to their environment, meets their operational needs, and creates a lasting impact.
We’re excited to support TANESCO on this journey and look forward to seeing the results of this transformation unfold throughout Tanzania.
At Beacon Power Services (BPS), our mission is to develop practical solutions that support utilities across Africa in addressing longstanding challenges in electricity distribution. We are excited to announce our latest strategic partnership with the Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET). This project aims to enhance Togo’s power infrastructure and significantly improve power delivery to its people.
This project will directly support CEET’s efforts to reduce technical and commercial losses, improve billing accuracy, and enhance overall service reliability. More importantly, it demonstrates a shared commitment between CEET and BPS to drive operational efficiency through data-driven solutions, laying the foundation for long-term, sustainable energy access.
The initial phase of the project has begun in Lomé. In this phase, BPS is implementing its proprietary platforms, CAIMS and ADORA, to assist CEET in developing a reliable database for customers and assets. With greater visibility into the network, CEET will be equipped to manage its infrastructure, make more informed operational decisions, and improve the customer experience throughout its service areas.
This initiative goes beyond a simple technology rollout; it aligns with the Togolese government’s broader objectives of enhancing power reliability and achieving universal energy access by 2030.
Here’s what this partnership will deliver:
An accurate network database that helps CEET to map and manage its assets and customers more effectively.
A marked reduction in technical and commercial losses achieved by identifying both physical and revenue-related losses in the system.
Improved billing accuracy, ensuring that customers receive accurate bills based on reliable consumption data.
Enhanced operational efficiency, allowing CEET to improve decision-making, reduce downtimes, and proactively manage its network with real-time insights.
As Africa continues to urbanize and develop, the increasing demand on utilities necessitates the adoption of modern, data-driven solutions that can effectively address this rising need.
Through our collaboration with CEET and several partners, we are actively contributing to progress in Africa, one utility at a time.
