Zahra Ramzi

Pioneered renewable energy solutions in rural North Africa through solar microgrids

Zahra Ramzi is a Tunisian engineer and founder of Solar Tunisia, a company that brought electricity to 120,000+ off-grid households in North Africa. Born in 1975 in Kairouan, she witnessed the energy poverty affecting rural communities during her childhood. After studying renewable energy in Germany, she returned in 2001 to develop locally produced solar panels using recycled materials.

Her breakthrough came with the Microgrid Initiative, a community-owned solar system that provides 24/7 power at 60% lower cost than diesel generators. The project won the 2010 Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Award. By 2020, her company had installed 15,000+ solar systems across Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

Ramzi pioneered the 'Solar Savings' model where households pay through mobile money, making payments affordable. Her work inspired similar models in Sub-Saharan Africa and earned her a UN Sustainable Development Award. She also co-founded the Women in Energy Network, training 3,000+ female engineers across the region.