Meet Simbarashe Mhuriro, Entrepreneur Who Is Building Zimbabwe's Largest Solar Company

Simbarashe Mhuriro is the founder and Managing Director of Oxygen Energy, an independent power producer and renewable energy development company specialising in utility power plants and commercial rooftop projects. 

In 2017, Oxygen Energy got a US$965 000 grant from the African Development Bank (AfDB) managed Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA). This grant was to support the preparation of a bankable business case for the development of a 20MW off grid solar photovoltaic rooftop project. 

The project will be done on buildings owned and managed by Old Mutual Property Group and will target a total 246 buildings. It is expected to cost US$28 million and is envisaged to save Zimbabwe up to $45 million in import substitutions of power per year. It will also avoid 30 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission per year.

Notably, Simbarashe was invited to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on his solar project in 2017. He describes his company as not just a solar company but an asset management financing business. 

Simba has also been invited to attend or speak at various entrepreneurship gatherings all over the world. Most recently, he was a judge at the Total Startupper of the Year Competition in Zimbabwe.

Simba is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Entrepreneurship for the 2018–2019 and the Shared Value Africa Initiative’s Africa Council of Eight. Simba is also part of the expert working group of the Enterprise Africa Network a project by the European Union & African Union to create a business platform to connect women and young entrepreneurs across the continent modelled on the Europe Enterprise Network.

In 2018, Simba was named by Forbes Magazine as one of Africa’s 30 most promising young entrepreneurs, and in 2016 he was also named one of Africa’s 30 most promising and inspirational young entrepreneurs in Africa by Forbes Magazine. 

Simba has also been recognised by the Africa Youth Awards as one of 100 most Influential Young Africans of the year. AFK Insider magazine named him among 12 Most Promising African Entrepreneurs of 2016 whilst in 2017 Africa.com named him among 40 Africans Under 40 – Making It In Africa. 

Africa Innovation Summit listed Simba’s project as one of the Top 50 Innovations in Africa for 2018. In October of 2018 the Institut Choiseul of France named Simba as one of Africa’s 200 economic leaders of tomorrow.