Across West Africa, millions of people live without stable electricity—especially in regions facing conflict, drought, and state neglect. In this episode, Karana Olivier, founder of KOC Bridges, joins Mvemba Phezo Dizolele to explain how simple, locally built wind turbines are helping communities generate not just energy, but also cooperation, agency, and resilience.
Karana describes his unique approach: enter villages with no predetermined solution, listen to every member of the community, and help them articulate their own vision for the future. Through this process, groups that rarely speak to one another: farmers, pastoralists, youth, women – end up working side by side to build wind turbines using recycled materials sourced from local markets.
These turbines provide power for charging batteries, lighting classrooms, and supporting economic activity. But just as importantly, they create spaces for dialogue, reduce opportunities for extremist recruitment, and help communities take ownership of their development. From Darfur to Côte d'Ivoire to northern Ghana, Karana’s work shows how energy access can become a catalyst for peace.
