Connecting opportunities: Esther Wartovo powers solar access in remote Papua New Guinea communities
As part of our Women in Power series, we are celebrating the remarkable leaders driving the Pacific and Timor-Leste’s clean energy transition.
In the heart of Bialla, a remote community in Papua New Guinea’s West New Britain Province, Esther Wartovo is helping bring solar energy and new opportunities to people who once lived in darkness. At just 30 years old, Esther is a single mother, an entrepreneur, and an agent for three organisations: MiBank, Bank South Pacific (BSP) and Sola PayGo. Her work is transforming access to renewable energy, financial services and information in some of PNG’s most underserved areas.
For Esther, her journey into the energy sector began almost by chance. While working as an agent for MiBank, she was introduced to Sola PayGo, which partners with the bank to provide loans for customers to purchase solar home systems. “Since I was already working as a MiBank agent, I was introduced to the solar products and that’s how I became the Sola PayGo representative here in Bialla,” she explains. Today, she balances this role alongside managing microfinance services and serving her community with persistence and passion.
Esther is an integral part of the BPP partnership between Sola PayGo, MiBank and the Australian Government. It focuses on increasing solar energy access in remote communities while also enabling community members, particularly women to gain employment to promote renewable energy solutions and maintain local services through technical support.
As a Sola PayGo agent, Esther’s role goes far beyond sales. She takes part in roadshows, markets solar products, helps families access financing and educates customers on how to use their systems. She also supports them in applying for loans and teaches them how to make repayments through mobile banking. “It’s not just about selling solar,” she says. “It’s about helping people understand the technology and showing them how it can change their lives.”
Energy access has transformed life in Bialla. Families can now light their homes at night, children can study after dark and small businesses can operate longer hours. For women, especially, this access is deeply empowering.
“Before, many women would walk miles just to charge a phone or get basic services,” Esther explains. “Now, solar makes things safer, easier, and more affordable.”
In a field where most agents are men, Esther is redefining what’s possible. “Not a lot of women do this kind of work,” she admits. “I think many prefer office jobs, but I enjoy being outdoors, meeting people and helping them directly.”
Through her work, she’s learned one powerful lesson:
“Women can do men’s jobs too. We are capable of doing anything, if we believe in ourselves and set our minds to it.”
For Esther, her work is not just about serving others; it has also reshaped her own life. The income from her roles has given her stability and independence as a single mother, allowing her to better support her daughter and plan for the future.
“I have a stable income now, unlike before,” she shares. “It’s made such a difference for me and my family.” Her work has also given her purpose and confidence. “I used to stay home most of the time,” she recalls. “But now, I go out, meet people and help them access services they never thought possible. Seeing their satisfaction when I help them it’s the best part of my job.”
Esther is passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls and women to step into spaces where they’ve been underrepresented. Her advice is simple but powerful: “Don’t underestimate your capabilities. We cannot always depend on men to support us financially. Believe in yourself, set goals and work hard. And above all, put God first you can succeed with or without men.”
Esther also has a message for businesses, banks and development partners: “Utilise local agent networks like ours to reach more locals. Agents are trusted by the community and can bridge the gap between technology, finance and access. Supporting us means supporting local businesses and empowering more women to participate in this sector.”
Esther Wartovo is helping families light their homes, supporting women into new roles, and showing how energy access can transform remote communities like Bialla across Papua New Guinea and beyond.
Esther’s story is part of a broader partnership that is accelerating access to renewable energy and jobs for remote Papua New Guinea communities. Learn more.
Across the region, women are stepping into roles that are reshaping how energy is generated, managed and shared. Their leadership is not only powering homes, schools and businesses with clean energy, it is building stronger, more resilient communities and showing what an inclusive energy future looks like.
We’re proud to showcase some of these remarkable leaders through our Women in Power series, which highlights women powering change through the Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships program, delivered by the Business Partnerships Platform and supported by the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million Australian Government initiative delivered by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP). These partnerships are pilots for REnew Pacific, the Australian Government’s $75 million investment in off-grid renewable energy for remote communities across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
