26 Jun 2026 07:00
Electrified & Exposed Ep.2: Here's Why Technology Choice Is So Intertwined With Currency Risk
In the final episode of the Electrified & Exposed mini-series, we are pivoting from the private sector perspective to the public sector perspective. Podcast series host, Churchill spoke to two finance experts who are at the heart of the design and the implementation of currency risk solutions in Africa’s energy transition.
Arun Singh (Senior Energy Specialist) & Magnus Nilsson (Impact Fund Manager) talk to us about why currency risk will significantly shape which technologies are deployed across sub-Saharan African countries, why some technologies are more likely to benefit from currency risk mitigation instruments, and of course, we touch on local currency financing touching on questions such as why institutional investors are still not in a position to invest in the energy sector in parts of the region. We also cover a lot of ground from solar home systems to geothermal, from parallel market rate distortions to pension fund investment mandates that could be the game changers for the energy transition.
Views expressed are those of our guests in their personal capacities and do not represent the official positions of their organisations.
Reference to IMF report: IMF (2021), Recognizing Reality: Unification of Official and Parallel Market Exchange Rates. Link: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2021/02/06/recognizing-reality-unification-of-official-and-parallel-market-exchange-rates-50047
If you haven't listened to Episode 1 yet, featuring Daniel Komolafe (First Electric, Nigeria) and Bodunde Akinola (CrossBoundary) — that is a good place to start! Listen here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/the-energy-talk/episodes/Electrified--Exposed-Ep-1-Why-Currency-Risk-Matters-for-Sub-Saharan-Africas-Off-Grid-Energy-Future-e3j6mon
Podcast hosted by Churchill Agutu (Collegium Helveticum Research Fellow, 2025/26)
Produced and edited by (Tosin George, Churchill Agutu)
Sound editing (Victor Adeolu)
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