Salma Okonkwo

Salma Okonkwo is a Ghanaian entrepreneur and business executive in the Energy industry. She is the founder of Blue Power Energy, an alternative energy conglomerate developing solar farm projects in Ghana.[1]

Salma Okonkwo

Early life and education

Salma Okonkwo (Iddrissu) was born in Accra, Ghana in 1970.[2] She studied at Mfantsiman Girls' Senior High School[3] and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

Business career

After Okonkwo returned to Africa, she was hired by Sahara Energy.[4]

She established UBI Energy, an energy trading business specialising in procurement and distribution of petroleum products in West Africa, in 1997. In 2013, Puma Energy acquired a 49% stake in UBI Group.[5]

Identifying renewables as a better long-term alternative for Africa led her to begin a new venture with the solar-focused Blue Power Energy.[6]

Salma Okonkwo continues to push for increased investment in Africa's energy sector, citing the industry as critical for the continent's post-COVID economic recovery.[7] In 2021 in celebration of Women's History Month, the Cherie Blair Foundation mentioned Salma Okonkwo in a list of women entrepreneurs, founders, leaders and changemakers.[8]

References
  1. Okonkwo, Salma (2022-01-01). "The Founder of UBI Group on Leading a Transition to Renewable Energy in Africa". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  2. "Salma Okonkwo: Lighting Up Ghana with Solar Energy - Motivation | Quotes | Africans - Konnect Africa". 2019-02-11. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  3. "Hall of Fame: These 19 popular figures are old girls of Mfantsiman". GhanaWeb. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  4. "How an entrepreneur shifted dynamics in the Ghanaian energy sector". How we made it in Africa. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  5. "This 48-year-old businesswoman is bringing the biggest solar farm to Ghana in 2019". Face2Face Africa. 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  6. "The Founder of UBI Group on Leading a Transition to Renewable Energy in Africa". Harvard Business Review. January 2022.
  7. "Investors are failing African entrepreneurs — it's time for a change". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  8. "Women's History Month: women entrepreneurs, founders, leaders and changemakers who inspire us". Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.