The International Solar Alliance (ISA) and SELCO Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing inclusive, solar-led development initiatives across Africa and other Global South countries. The partnership aims to move beyond energy access and focus on tangible, people-centric outcomes that strengthen livelihoods, health, and dignity.
The MoU was announced following a strategic dialogue between Ashish Khanna, Director General of ISA, and Harish Hande, CEO of SELCO Foundation. The discussion centered on what truly unlocks development impact, emphasizing action over intent and systems over silos.
During the dialogue, both leaders underscored the need to view energy not merely as an infrastructure outcome, but as an enabler of livelihoods, healthcare delivery, education, and social dignity. They highlighted the importance of shifting from report-driven approaches to action-oriented platforms, and from isolated pilot projects to scalable, collaborative ecosystems. Leadership that aligns policy, finance, technology, and community participation was identified as critical to achieving lasting impact.
Mr. Khanna noted that the global development ecosystem is increasingly seeking action-oriented convenings that can translate commitments into outcomes on the ground. Dr. Hande emphasized that India’s most meaningful contribution to global development lies not in exporting products, but in sharing lived, grassroots experience—what works, what fails, and why. He also stressed the value of institutions that serve the “common good” and the importance of openly sharing failures to accelerate collective learning.
Under the MoU, ISA and SELCO Foundation will collaborate on scaling solar-led livelihood and productive-use solutions, particularly in underserved regions. The partnership will focus on strengthening institutional and human capacity, enabling South–South and state-to-state learning, and exploring the use of AI-driven tools to deliver inclusive, local-language knowledge. Another key objective is to catalyse financing by connecting global platforms with grassroots realities, ensuring that capital flows are aligned with on-the-ground needs.
The collaboration is positioned as a long-term commitment rather than a symbolic announcement. Both organizations described the partnership as an accountability framework—designed to ensure that shared goals translate into measurable outcomes for communities across the Global South.
The dialogue and MoU signing were joined by several stakeholders, including Barakat Ahmed, Regional Programmes Head – Africa at ISA; Karan Mangotra, Partnership and Strategy Specialist at ISA; Darshan Puttannaiah, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Melukote Constituency; Manoj Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Alpha; and Ganesh Neelam, Director at Sustain Plus and the Puttannaiah Foundation.
With this collaboration, ISA and SELCO Foundation aim to strengthen the role of solar energy as a catalyst for inclusive development, knowledge-sharing, and sustainable economic growth across emerging economies.
