The York School 2024/25 Year in Review - Alumni Spotlight: Andy Keith '03

When Andy Keith ‘03 learned that more than half the people living in Sub-Saharan Africa have limited or no access to electricity, he decided to use his knowledge of the solar power industry to help reduce energy poverty. Today more than one million people in Kenya are using affordable solar power kits from Andy’s company, Solar Panda, to charge their cell phones and to power lights and appliances like radios and televisions.

At The York School, Andy participated in a cross-cultural, community service initiative in Grade 11 that helped sow seeds for the work he does today. “We spent two weeks in Jamaica working at orphanages. That was definitely my first exposure to the different standards of living in the world. It was a really eye-opening experience,” says Andy.
During a gap year from the Civil Engineering program at Queen’s University, Andy spent three months teaching math in Ghana. That first trip to Africa gave him new insights about development. “Going over there, I had the impression that what Africa really needed was financial aid and volunteers. But I came away with the belief that investment and job opportunities are more beneficial,” says Andy.

Solar Panda’s loan-to-own model enables people in 400,000 households to operate small businesses, do homework and socialize in bright light. By purchasing the company’s solar power kits, families can avoid using kerosene – which is a fire hazard, causes respiratory illnesses and harms the environment.
 
“Kerosene is expensive, produces a dim light and is the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. It’s also the number one cause of poisoning in Africa because children sometimes drink it by accident,” says Andy.

Solar Panda has created jobs for 2,300 Kenyans. The majority work as commission-based sales agents, but the company also has 350 employees who work as sales managers, store managers and call centre staff, and also in logistics and accounting.

Earlier this year, Solar Panda purchased a company in Zambia, marking its foray into a second market. It plans to expand to Senegal and Benin by the end of the year.Andy hopes that Solar Panda’s successful business model will encourage others to invest in Africa. “It’s not a charity case, it’s a fertile place to invest. If there’s no investment, Africa can’t catch up and get ahead,” says Andy.

When he reflects on his York School education, Andy says he appreciates the teachers who invested in him by creating personalized learning experiences. His Physics teacher, Jennifer Elliot, was one of them. “I was excelling in her class and she went above and beyond to challenge me a bit more.  I’m still very grateful for that.”
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