Damilola Hamid Balogun, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Sustainable Development Network (YSDN) and Project Lead, Powering Lagos SMEs, has called for a more deliberate and value-driven approach to energy partnerships between the United States and West Africa, as stakeholders convened at the 11th Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C.

The summit, held from March 19 to 20, 2026, at the JW Marriott Hotel, brought together Ministers from across West Africa, senior United States government officials, development finance institutions, and private sector leaders under the theme “Powering the US-Africa Partnership: Energy Infrastructure, Critical Minerals & Investment Strategies.”

Balogun spoke during the Closed Door Boardrooms: Country Huddle – US–West Africa session, which featured high-level participation from Ministers of Energy, Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Solid Minerals from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and The Gambia, alongside representatives of key U.S. institutions such as the Department of Energy, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

He noted that while infrastructure development and capital investment remain central to advancing the energy sector, greater emphasis must be placed on structuring partnerships that deliver mutual value and long-term sustainability.

According to him, “The next phase of U.S.–West Africa energy cooperation must go beyond financing and project announcements to focus on how partnerships are designed to create value on both ends and drive implementation at scale.”

Balogun also highlighted the need for stronger integration of capable professionals within the energy ecosystem, noting that practical solutions are increasingly being driven by actors with deep local context and execution capacity.

As part of his contribution, he spotlighted the Powering Lagos SMEs project, a clean energy initiative supported by the ZE-Gen programme and the IKEA Foundation. The project focuses on driving demand aggregation for solar energy solutions across major market clusters in Lagos, Nigeria, with the aim of accelerating clean energy adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises.

He explained that the initiative provides a working model for how decentralized energy solutions can be scaled through a combination of market-driven approaches, strategic partnerships, and targeted financing structures.

Balogun further stated that while innovation and execution capacity already exist within the region, the extent to which such efforts can scale will depend on how well policy frameworks, financing mechanisms, and international collaborations are aligned.

“The opportunity is clear. The question is whether existing systems will deliberately create the conditions required to scale solutions that are already proving effective on the ground,” he said.

The Powering Africa Summit remains a key platform for advancing dialogue on energy access, investment, and infrastructure development across the continent, with increasing focus on strengthening transatlantic cooperation.

Balogun’s participation reflects ongoing efforts by the Youth Sustainable Development Network to advance clean energy adoption and support scalable solutions within Africa’s energy ecosystem.