Head of Policy & Market Development

About Okra
At Okra Solar, we're on a mission to bring Power to the People by unlocking opportunities through energy access for everyone in the world.

Over 650 million people still live without electricity. At a time where technology such as mobile devices, productive agritech and AI are becoming more accessible than ever, we believe that access to energy is the first step toward opportunity and growth.

That's why we build our Mesh Grid technology that energizes off-grid households at a fraction of the cost of the other solutions. We provide the entire solution, including the hardware and software, that we sell to local energy companies who deploy our tech to deliver affordable, reliable electricity as a service to last-mile communities.

We've deployed 2MW+ of solar PV energizing ~50,000 people, and we're scaling fast under Nigeria's $750M World Bank-funded DARES program, with equipment for another 150,000 people in manufacturing now, and new markets opening in Mozambique and Madagascar.

Why this role exists
Nigeria's DARES program created the world's first regulatory and financing framework purpose-built for mesh-grids: a differentiated grant ($300/connection vs $500 for isolated mini-grids — roughly 40% public-resource savings), and license-light treatment under 100 kW. The result is 137,000+ connections ready for grant agreements in Nigeria and regulators across the continent asking how to copy it.

Right now, the frameworks that will decide whether that model spreads are being designed: World Bank ASCENT (~$5B across ~20 African countries), AfDB's SEFA, EU-backed programs, bilateral donor programs, and the national electrification plans of the markets we care about.

Whether mesh-grids get recognised as a distinct technology class — or bundled invisibly under mini-grids and solar home systems — will be decided in the next 18–24 months, and it's the difference between DARES being a one-off and DARES being the playbook.

Regulators from Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Namibia have already told us they're open; the World Bank, IFC, GEAPP, and SE4All were in the room when they said it. What's missing is one person who wakes up every day accountable for converting that openness into signed program documents.

If mesh-grids are written into these frameworks, the whole industry pushes them to scale. This is one of the highest-leverage jobs at Okra.

What you'll own
- Mesh-grid carve-outs in the programs that set the rules. You are accountable for getting DARES-style mesh-grid inclusion — distinct technology class, differentiated grant window, license-light thresholds, fast disbursement — written into 3+ national program designs within 24 months.
- World Bank ASCENT is the largest single prize, but the mandate covers every pot of money that shapes rural electrification in Africa. That means tracking who is drafting what and when, and being in the room — or getting us there — before the language locks in.
- The mesh-grid alliance. Advocacy lands when it isn't one vendor lobbying. Build the coalition into something that speaks for the category: bring the o