Khadija Benbrika

Moroccan renewable energy pioneer who revolutionized solar access in rural Africa

Khadija Benbrika (born 1985) is a Moroccan engineer and social entrepreneur whose innovative solar energy solutions have brought electricity to over 500,000 people in rural African communities since 2020. As founder of Solar Access Africa, she developed the first modular solar power system designed specifically for off-grid regions. Her SunPod technology uses locally sourced materials and incorporates cultural design elements that ensure adoption by traditional communities. Benbrika's work was pivotal in achieving 60% electrification rates in Senegal's Casamance region by 2023, earning her the 2024 UNESCO Women in Science Prize. She also pioneered community microgrids that allow villages to generate surplus energy for income-generating activities like cold storage for agricultural produce. Her TEDx talk Solar Power for Human Dignity has been viewed over 2 million times, inspiring similar initiatives in Niger and Mali. Benbrika currently advises the African Union's Energy Transition Task Force while continuing grassroots projects through her nonprofit.