Louise Williamson: Inventor, social entrepreneur and conservation trailblazer
Louise Williamson straddles many labels and does so comfortably. Although she describes herself as an environmentalist, committed to the green revolution, she could also be called a social entrepreneur, community development specialist – with 25 years’ experience in the renewable and sustainable energy markets – and an innovator.
Williamson from Bellville has been recognised by various organisations for her work. In July 2022, Williamson was named a finalist in the prestigious Santam Woman of the Future Awards in the social entrepreneur category. In 2016, she received both the Global Cleantech Innovation Social Impact Award and the GIBS Festival of Ideas Social Impact Award, for the invention of the Mashesha stove. In the following year, she was awarded the African Entrepreneurship Award in Morocco.
She has also represented South Africa in the Women in Clean Cooking programme, a global initiative sponsored by SE4ALL, GWNET and the Clean Cooking Alliance, joining a cohort of 59 inspiring women changemakers from Asia, Haiti and Africa.
“I am deeply passionate about empowering individuals to lead sustainable, fulfilling lives, a philosophy that permeates my personal and professional endeavours,” she said. “I have dedicated my career to positively impacting our planet and the communities we serve.”
Complementing her passion and environmental expertise are Williamson’s business and project management skills. She is currently completing an MBA, with only her dissertation remaining and has qualifications in project and business management, conservation and social entrepreneurship. She has experience in business modelling and management, and she has run several of her own businesses.
Currently, she serves as Africa Projects and Implementation Manager for Ener-G-Africa (EGA), a multi-faceted company tackling the challenges of climate change through research, development and the manufacturing of clean energy products that enrich lives across the African continent.
While she focuses largely on project development, R&D and implementation, a significant component of Williamson’s work is in community and stakeholder engagement. In rural Ghana, she often cooks alongside local women to introduce improved stove technologies.
“Women face similar challenges regardless of geography or context,” she explained.
“At the end of the day, people are people. It’s a privilege to collaborate with women in the community, to truly understand their needs, and to co-create sustainable solutions. Too often, environmental initiatives introduce technologies without adequate research to ensure they’re appropriate for the local context. Our approach not only supports communities effectively but also aligns with our broader goals of reducing emissions.”
This has always been part of Williamson’s personal philosophy. Before joining EGA, she founded and managed a company called Sustainability Professionals, a social enterprise specialising in green technology and training services – and also established and ran a successful entrepreneurial venture, Scallywags Treats (all-natural beef liver treats for dogs).
Williamson also developed a firelighter called Rhinobiolighter from Rhino Dung in partnership with Care for Wild, a Rhino sanctuary in the Mpumalanga province, she facilitated grant partnerships and collaborations for a long list of organisations, including the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), British Council, USAID, Sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL), Global Women’s Network for Energy Transition (GWNET), DALRRD & DFFE, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, the National Department of Energy and Education, South African Energy Efficiency (SAEE) Confederation, Private Financing and Advisory Network (PFAN), Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and works as an independent contractor for the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA) in its Energy and Sustainability programme.
She is also designing and facilitating a short course on Social Entrepreneurship for university lecturers, which can complement their work with students interested in advancing their innovations to the next level, particularly looking at fundraising.
Strongly advocating gender equality, Williamson hopes her work at EGA will help improve the lives of women in Africa by reducing their time spent cooking, the risks associated with collecting firewood and smoke-related illnesses.
“The impact is immediate when they start using an improved cookstove. It takes half the time or less to collect firewood and to cook, which frees women up to do other things, as well as improving their health. In fact, providing cleaner cooking equipment contributes to six Sustainable Development Goals: access to affordable and clean energy, gender equality, mitigating climate change, responsible consumption and production, sustainable communities and life on land. It’s very satisfying work.”
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za