The Elbas hope to turn the island into a renewably powered, self-reliant eco city via the Hope Power Project, in partnership with British power company Octopus Energy Generation. The three-year plan also involves investment in connectivity and improving clean-water access.
The wind farm, expected to be running later this summer, consists of five wind turbines along with solar panels and batteries that are meant to power nearly 1,500 homes and businesses, supporting 15,000 islanders, via a small grid in Sherbro’s chief port and commercial center, Bonthe.
The project involved creating a new blueprint for power infrastructure on Sherbro, one that was different from that of places like European cities, says Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation. It also requires working in lockstep with the Sierra Leonean government and local communities. “Idris has been this absolutely extraordinary diplomat in helping us bring that together,” she says. He was even named a chief on the island. It helps that the plan aligns with the government’s goals to increase national electricity access to 78% of the population—or 720,000 households—by 2030, from 36% in 2025, and to increase the renewable component of its energy mix to 52% from 46% over the same period.
The couple want to reframe how the world sees the second largest continent. “Africa is seen as a place that always needs aid,” says Elba. “Interestingly enough, the world needs Africa more than Africa needs the world, because it’s rich in resources.” That means not only commodities like oil and minerals, but also a vast, deep pool of young talent.
Dhowre Elba adds that African countries hardly lack solutions to their own problems. They know exactly what they need to do. What’s frustrating, she says, is the lack of political will and funding to get it done. “That’s something that we wanted to address with our organization.” The Elbas see their role as listening to people on the ground and then becoming a voice for them in the rooms where decisions are made.
Their work today is just the beginning. Eventually, they want Elba Hope to become an adviser to governments and other leaders based on their own experiences, learnings, and unique perspectives. “I don’t want us to be a charity. I want us to maybe be a think tank,” Elba says. “We get called into so many rooms that, technically, we aren’t qualified to speak in—but it turns out, if you care, sometimes that caring in the room makes a lot of change.”
