Abuja — When Stanley Anigbogu heard his title introduced because the 2025 Commonwealth Younger Particular person of the Yr in London earlier in March, he may hardly imagine it. He had not anticipated to win, particularly amongst a pool of good nominees from throughout the globe.
The 25-year-old Nigerian vitality innovator was recognised for reworking waste into solar-powered improvements that ship clear vitality to over 10,000 refugees in Africa. Anigbogu is the co-founder of LightEd, an organization that turns plastic waste into solar-powered charging stations. These stations provide electrical energy to communities with little or no entry to energy. LightEd works in hard-to-reach areas and serves individuals in several components of Nigeria, together with hundreds of displaced individuals.
“I actually was not anticipating to win the award,” he stated. “When my title was referred to as, I used to be shocked. It took me a second to imagine it. I used to be actually grateful as a result of it was a tremendous accomplishment. Simply representing Africa, being the most effective from Africa out of 56 international locations. I knew the work we have been doing was vital, however the different finalists have been doing wonderful issues as properly. I used to be grateful that my work was spotlighted as a result of it provides the work that I do a distinct stage of recognition. It’s a very huge accomplishment.”
For Anigbogu, the award isn’t just a private achievement. He sees it as a second of satisfaction for Nigeria and for younger individuals throughout the continent.
“This award provides me hope,” he stated. “It reveals that folks see our work and that it issues.”
Stanley Anigbogu, 2025 Commonwealth Younger Particular person of the Yr. Credit score: LightEd
The Youth Awards for Excellence in Improvement Work, generally known as the Commonwealth Youth Awards, is a flagship challenge of the Commonwealth Secretariat, which has supported youth growth for over 50 years. The Secretariat’s Head of Social Coverage Improvement, Layne Robinson, underscored the significance of highlighting the work of younger leaders like Anigbogu and empowering them to do extra.
He stated, “These awards allow us to study extra in regards to the work being carried out by younger individuals throughout the Commonwealth and provide us a chance to assist them tangibly. By amplifying their work, the awards assist them turn out to be beacons to others and contribute to constructing the following era of leaders.”
In pursuit of the waste-to-energy method, Stanley Anigbogu’s challenge has repurposed greater than 5 tonnes of plastic waste. Decreasing hurt to the atmosphere is central to his improvements. Credit score: LightEd
Lighting Up Communities
Anigbogu grew up in Onitsha, a bustling city in southeastern Nigeria. Like many properties within the nation, his household didn’t have dependable electrical energy. Energy cuts have been frequent. Generally, they’d electrical energy for just a few hours in a whole week. He usually needed to research utilizing candles or kerosene lamps.
These struggles sparked his curiosity about how electrical energy labored. He grew to become fascinated with discovering options to the challenges round him. On the age of 15, he started constructing small innovations. He created robots and rockets utilizing scraps and second-hand digital parts. He constructed easy instruments to assist with duties at dwelling and even began a science membership in class.
Stanley Anigbogu stands inside a piece in progress. Credit score: LightEd
After secondary college, Anigbogu moved to Morocco for college. Whereas there, he based a start-up which aimed to show orange peels into vitality. The challenge failed, nevertheless it taught him priceless classes.
“I made a whole lot of errors as a result of I didn’t perceive enterprise properly,” he stated. “However I learnt quite a bit from it.”
Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Anigbogu returned to Nigeria. He needed to create one thing helpful that might assist poor communities. That is how LightEd began. His innovation helps to handle Nigeria’s electrical energy downside. In accordance with the World Financial institution, 85 million Nigerians don’t have entry to electrical energy from the nationwide grid. This implies about 43 p.c of the inhabitants lives with out common energy, making Nigeria the nation with the best variety of individuals with out electrical energy.
Stanley Anigbogu’s tasks work in the direction of offering electrical energy to underserved individuals; the group is on the coronary heart of the selections on the place to position the solar-powered charging stations. Credit score: LightEd
Considered one of LightEd’s flagship tasks is the development of charging stations made out of plastic and recycled waste, fitted with photo voltaic panels. Folks use them to cost telephones, lamps, and small units. In lots of of those areas, it’s the solely supply of electrical energy obtainable.
LightEd has educated over 6,000 college students and recycled greater than 20,000 kilograms of plastic. The corporate has additionally raised over 500,000 {dollars} from donors and companions to develop its work.
“Our purpose is to make clear vitality obtainable to everybody,” stated Anigbogu, who added that the corporate works intently with communities to create options tailor-made to their wants.
Stanley Anigbogu finds gentle in waste. Credit score: LightEd
“The options we offer are community-led. Every group has totally different wants. We start by asking questions like: the place ought to the station be constructed? What’s their vitality want? What does the group require? We additionally add paintings to the stations, designed to replicate what the group feels the station represents. After we work with an artist, we maintain a workshop and gather enter from the individuals. We additionally work with them to resolve how the station will probably be managed. As soon as it’s constructed, we hand it over to the group.”
Serving to Displaced Folks
Anigbogu’s curiosity in serving to displaced individuals started whereas he was in Morocco. He joined a volunteer group that visited households residing within the Atlas Mountains. Many had been displaced and lacked entry to electrical energy and clear water.
LightEd has arrange photo voltaic charging stations in two huge camps for displaced individuals in Nigeria. In addition they supplied photo voltaic lights and lamps, making it simpler and safer for individuals to maneuver round at night time, particularly girls and kids.
“I need youngsters in refugee camps to have the ability to research at night time. Earlier than, all over the place was once darkish, and if you put in streetlights, it lights up the environment and creates a way of security and in addition helps their psychological well being. I feel if you’re residing in a darkish atmosphere and also you’re already in an inhospitable state of affairs, having correct lighting helps provide you with a way of safety. That contributes to an general stronger feeling of security. Apart from that, it additionally helps scale back prices, akin to the cash spent on issues like kerosene or candles, as a result of all that you must do is go and cost your lamp or different system. It additionally reduces the adverse well being results from the smoke and fumes individuals inhale when utilizing conventional lighting options,” Anigbogu stated.
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Wanting Forward
Anigbogu’s journey has not been with out challenges. Within the early days, one of many largest obstacles was the shortage of clear steering on learn how to begin an organisation in Nigeria, together with navigating registration, documentation, and taxes. At present, his foremost problem is scaling. Whereas funding is vital, Anigbogu says the more durable process is discovering the suitable methods and buildings to develop into new areas and international locations.
Stanley Anigbogu hopes to make use of entry to vitality to deliver individuals of various faiths collectively, serving to them resolve the numerous conflicts within the area. Credit score: LightEd
However for Anigbogu, none of it is a purpose to surrender. He’s now engaged on constructing charging stations that additionally double as areas for peace dialogue.
“I’m working with the Commonwealth Peace Prize winners, who’re additionally Nigerians. We’re discussing constructing a charging station that may function an area for intergenerational and interreligious dialogue. In Nigeria, the place there are numerous spiritual conflicts, I imagine it’s a good suggestion to make use of entry to vitality as a solution to deliver individuals of various faiths collectively to speak and perceive one another,” he stated.
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