Yariv Cohen is not in the business of wasting time. He can’t afford to; he’s working toward an ambitious goal. And while the deadline is self-imposed, the stakes are incredibly real: He is committed to bringing power to 100 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 — and five years is going to go fast.
According to Africa Energy Outlook 2022, 600 million people (43% of the continent’s population), lack access to electricity. Bridging this energy gap and connecting the poorest people on the planet to power is the premise on which Cohen, a YPO member who is one of the organization’s 2025 Global Impact Award honorees, co-founded Ignite Energy Access with his wife, Angela Homsi.
A climate tech social enterprise that operates across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ignite develops, finances and facilitates a decentralized and sustainable infrastructure of solutions for deep-rural communities — those commonly referred to as “last mile.” This includes clean cooking solutions and innovative solar-powered electricity, irrigation systems and internet access.
