Solar home systems companies lead in sales staff hiring

From the newsletter

Over the past twelve months, 30 major renewable energy companies in Africa collectively hired at least 1,170 new senior staff. The sales roles accounted for only 13% of the total new employees and were dominated by solar home systems companies, while independent power producers (IPPs) employed relatively fewer staff in sales functions.

• Engie Africa led in new hires, adding 221 staff over the past twelve months. The company also ranks top in operational reach, with activities in 30 African countries, including populous markets such as Nigeria.

• Sun King, which has secured $236 million in funding over the past two months, ranked second with 181 new hires. The new funding is aimed at expanding its markets in Kenya and Nigeria, with additional hires expected.

More details

• Every month, Renewables Rising collects and tracks LinkedIn data on senior staff across energy companies. The data provides a representative snapshot of company information, though it may not be fully conclusive.

• The African renewable energy space is seeing greater investments coming into the sector in the wake of the energy transition gospel. The sector is playing a big role in creating employment, especially as more projects reach implementation stages and companies expand into new markets.

• Most of the recent senior hires were in general roles, with sales recruitment remaining relatively limited. However, companies specialising in solar home systems (SHS) continue to maintain and expand larger sales teams. Sun King led with 56 new sales hires, followed by d.light with 17 and Solar Panda with 14.

• By contrast, Independent Power Producers(IPPs) and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction firms (EPCs ) employ far fewer salespeople, as their projects are utility-scale and negotiated through contracts rather than retail markets.

• Not all firms saw growth. Distributed Power Africa reported the steepest decline, with (-13) staff over the year. Other companies posting declines included Ignite Power (-5), Solarise Africa (-3). These figures suggest that even within a growing sector, some firms may face operational adjustments or market challenges, leading to staff reductions.

• Companies that have recently expanded into new markets or raised funding are likely to increase hiring further. Solar Panda entered Zambia, while CrossBoundary Access, part of the CrossBoundary Group, expanded operations to Madagascar. Sun King and Wetility, both solar home system providers, also secured funding to scale up their operations.

Our take

• The "energy transition gospel" is clearly driving greater investment, and with more projects reaching construction stages, we can expect a sustained influx of capital. This will translate into a higher number of hires in renewable energy projects across the continent.

• While there's a general boom, not all companies will thrive. We might see further consolidation as larger, more robust players acquire smaller, struggling ones, or some companies may need to significantly adjust their strategies to remain viable.

• The limited reach of national grids means off-grid solutions, particularly SHS and mini-grids, will see greater investment. As SHS companies expand into rural markets, expect more sales-heavy recruitment and a stronger push for last-mile distribution networks.