Lucy Ntaganira

Revolutionized education access in rural Africa through solar-powered schools and community libraries

Lucy Ntaganira is a trailblazing educator from Burundi who founded Energize Education in 2008. Her organization has established 85 solar-powered schools across East Africa, providing electricity and digital learning tools to over 150,000 students in off-grid regions. Ntaganira developed the Solar Classroom Model, which combines renewable energy systems with teacher training programs. In 2015, she launched the Africa Library Network, creating mobile libraries for nomadic communities. Her initiative 'Girls Code Africa' (2019) trained 3,000 girls in coding and digital literacy. Ntaganira's work inspired the African Union's 2020 mandate to integrate renewable energy into all new school construction. She was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2017 and received the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2020. Her TEDx Talk 'Lighting Up Minds' (2018) has been translated into 12 languages.