In the corridors of energy policy, corporate boardrooms, and renewable mega-projects, one name commands quiet reverence: Linda Mabhena-Olagunju.
As the founder and CEO of DLO Energy Resources Group, she is not just participating in South Africa’s energy transformation, she is authoring its blueprint. And in doing so, she’s emerged as one of the continent’s most respected voices in renewable energy entrepreneurship.
Educated in law, refined in global finance, and born of South African resilience, Linda’s journey into energy is as strategic as it is inspirational.
She began her career in the UK with the international law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, advising on multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects. But it was her decision to return home that marked the real turning point, one that would position her as a transformative figure in South Africa’s push toward a green future.
Her company, DLO Energy, is one of the few Black-woman-owned independent power producers (IPPs) in the region.
It owns and operates one of South Africa’s largest wind farms and is at the forefront of bidding for new projects under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), a benchmark initiative globally praised for its structure and transparency.
What makes Linda distinct is not just the scale of her projects, but the soul behind them. For her, renewable energy is not just about kilowatts, it’s about justice.
DLO Energy does more than generate electricity; it incorporates community ownership models, directs funds to local development, and ensures that the economic benefits of energy infrastructure don’t bypass the communities where the turbines turn.
Her accolades are many. Linda has served on the International Advisory Board of the University of Oxford, been featured in Oprah Winfrey’s Power List, and earned recognition as one of Africa’s leading women in business by Forbes. Yet she moves with quiet confidence, always emphasizing the work over the praise.
“My success,” she often says, “isn’t defined by personal achievement, but by the number of people we bring along with us, people who would otherwise be left out of these conversations.”
A respected speaker at global energy forums and climate summits, Linda is also increasingly playing a role in policy advocacy.
She champions energy justice as a framework for Africa’s transition, arguing that access, affordability, and equity must be just as prioritized as clean generation and carbon targets.
In a world looking to Africa for its next leap in energy innovation, Linda Mabhena-Olagunju stands tall, not just as a builder of wind farms, but as a builder of systems, economies, and futures.
She’s not waiting for Africa’s energy future to arrive. She’s building it, and making sure it belongs to everyone.
