Linda Mabhena-Olagunju is an entrepreneur, lawyer, and renewable energy executive whose career has been shaped by a commitment to expanding Africa’s energy infrastructure through innovation, investment, and long-term sustainability.
As the founder and Chief Executive Officer of DLO Energy Resources Group, she has built one of South Africa’s leading black female-owned renewable energy companies, contributing to the development, ownership, and operation of utility-scale wind and solar energy projects.
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Her work reflects the growing role African entrepreneurs are playing in accelerating the continent’s transition toward cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy.
Her journey into the energy sector began with a strong legal foundation.
After studying law at the University of Cape Town, Linda pursued a Master of Laws in International Commercial Law with a specialization in oil and gas law at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Her academic training equipped her with a deep understanding of commercial transactions, infrastructure development, and the legal frameworks that underpin the global energy industry.
Early in her career, she worked with Aberdeen City Council, where she contributed to projects connected to offshore wind energy. The experience provided practical exposure to renewable energy development and strengthened her interest in building a career within one of the world’s fastest-growing industries.
She later joined the international law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf in Johannesburg, where she worked on project finance and energy-related transactions. During this period, she gained valuable experience advising on large infrastructure projects before deciding to pursue entrepreneurship.
That decision became the defining turning point in her professional journey.
In 2011, at the age of 27, Linda founded DLO Energy Resources Group, establishing a company focused on developing, investing in, owning, constructing, and operating renewable energy projects. The business has since grown into a significant participant in South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), with investments in wind and solar energy projects while also expanding opportunities across other African markets.
Under her leadership, DLO Energy operates one of Africa’s largest wind farms, with a capacity of 244 megawatts, and continues to develop renewable energy projects in countries including South Africa, Nigeria, and Botswana. Through these projects, the company has contributed to increasing renewable energy generation while supporting broader efforts to strengthen energy security across the region.
Beyond building a successful company, Linda has become an influential voice in discussions surrounding renewable energy, climate resilience, infrastructure investment, and the just energy transition.
Her expertise has led to appointments on several advisory and governance bodies. She has served on the University of Oxford’s advisory structures, including the African Studies Centre International Advisory Board, and has contributed to organizations focused on energy, infrastructure, sustainability, and international development.
Recognition has accompanied her leadership.
Over the course of her career, Linda has been featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Power List of influential African women, received the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman Award, earned recognition through the CNBC All Africa Business Leaders Awards, appeared on the cover of Forbes Africa, and has been included in the Choiseul 100 Africa rankings of emerging economic leaders.
Her influence extends beyond business leadership.
As a speaker, she has contributed to conversations at major international forums addressing renewable energy, climate change, infrastructure finance, women’s leadership, and African economic development. Through these engagements, she has consistently advocated for greater African participation in building and financing the infrastructure that will power the continent’s future.
What makes Linda Mabhena-Olagunju’s journey remarkable is not simply the scale of the projects she has helped develop.
It is her ability to combine legal expertise, entrepreneurial thinking, and strategic leadership to build businesses that contribute to long-term economic development. Her career demonstrates how African-owned enterprises are playing an increasingly important role in advancing renewable energy and strengthening the continent’s infrastructure.
Linda Mabhena-Olagunju is not simply an energy executive. She is part of a generation of African business leaders helping redefine the continent’s energy future through innovation, investment, and sustainable enterprise.
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