Energy

Solarbox is a small Senegalese company that began operations in 2022. The company operates in the electric mobility sector, more specifically in the production of 2- and 3-wheel electric vehicles for transporting goods or people. Solarbox's electric vehicles feature a digital component for tracking and data collection. The offer is easily accessible thanks to a monthly leasing model.

The entrepreneur

Tijan WATT, co-founder and Managing Partner of Wuri Ventures since 2017, is the CEO of Solarbox. A dual Senegalese and American national, he graduated from the prestigious Harvard Business School in 2007 with an MBA. He has more than 15 years of professional/entrepreneurial experience to his credit, as well as solid fund-raising skills.

Partnership with I&P and Teranga Capital

Solarbox is supported by I&P Digital Energy, a 4.8 million euro program to finance and support a dozen start-ups and SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa offering digital solutions for access to affordable energy, backed by AFD and the EU.

 In Senegal, this program is implemented by Teranga Capital.

The objectives for this start-up are to :

• Support the company in strengthening its production of electric vehicles to effectively meet the needs of its market 
• Help the company to develop its B2B portfolio as a priority, by boosting the sales function. 
• Support the company in strengthening its R&D in order to develop its offer. 
• Help the company move its product from a niche market to the mass market

Founded in 2020, IBRIZ is a company operating in the renewable energy sector and more specifically in the AgriTech sub-sector with a focus on the productive use of solar energy in agriculture. Its aim is to support small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa by leveraging technology with an innovative business model. IBRIZ uses proven technologies to build an ecosystem that will impact the lives of small-scale farmers by enabling access to solar water irrigation systems.

Entrepreneurs

The company's vision is driven by two entrepreneurs, Bou Diarra and Serigne Sam Ndao, co-founders of IBRIZ. They have over 15 years of professional entrepreneurial experience to their credit.

Partnership with I&P and Teranga Capital

IBRIZ is supported by I&P Digital Energy, a 4.8 million euro program to finance and support a dozen start-ups and SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa offering digital solutions for access to affordable energy, backed by AFD and the EU. In Senegal, this program is implemented by Teranga Capital.

The objectives of this SME are

• Optimizing the supply of materials (to improve profitability and operational efficiency)
• Improving distribution (to reduce costs associated with damage to equipment and ensure safe delivery) 
• Developing the digital component
• Strengthening its offering 

Founded in 2016, Solarly is a Cameroonian company supplying off-grid solar energy solutions (not connected to the traditional electricity grid): it offers its solutions in rural and urban areas with a focus on energy needs for productive use (health centers, schools, small industries) but also for basic household electrical needs.

Its leading products are :

-The SolarlyBox, a stand-alone off-grid solar system that supplies continuous energy by connecting solar panels, batteries and various equipment (fridge, television, telephone charging cable). The SolarlyBox is a connected object (Internet of Things), enabling :

• Performance monitoring, to anticipate and solve problems
• Data collection on usage
• Remote control and activation based on user payments

-AC Kits, combinations of components, integrated and marketed in a standardized way to meet the most frequent needs, such as :

• Powering the most popular basic appliances: lamps, cell phones, radios and TVs
• Powering a water pump for irrigation and/or a water tower
• Powering a fridge or freezer for food preservation
• Power an incubator for chick rearing

Today, it is estimated that more than 20,000 people are impacted by the Solarly product, either directly (households) or indirectly (hotels, health centers and schools).

The entrepreneur

Julien Riat is 31 years old and originally from Belgium. After graduating in Economics and Business Administration from the Université Catholique de Louvain (2012) and in International Business from EPHEC (2014) in Belgium, he joined an association that assists disabled children. He then joined Travis and Lloyd as a Business Developer. At a very young age, he embarked on the Solarly adventure with two of his friends. The three of them formed the basis of the project, later joined by other partners.

Partnership with I&P

Solarly is supported by I&P through I&P Digital Energy. The aim of the funding is to :

• Support the implementation of the company's new commercial and operational strategy to accelerate growth 
• Roll out the new research and development phase 
• Contribute to the opening and development of new hubs
• Strengthen WCR

Expected impacts

• Access to energy for vulnerable populations
• Improving the provision of health and education services through the electrification of health centers and schools that have benefited from Solarly's solar installations.
• Improving the agricultural and craft production capacities of small rural and informal production units 
• Improving the quality of service for small and medium-sized businesses in urban areas, thanks to a continuous supply of energy.

Innovex is a Ugandan company that has developed a smart meter coupled with an IoT solution that bridges the gap between solar energy providers/distributors and their last mile customers by giving the ability to remotely monitor, manage and turn on/off installed solar systems. This solution can be deployed in a variety of solar energy systems such as home systems, water pumps, cold chain storage and transportation systems, etc.

The entrepreneurs

Hi-Tech Solutions is a start-up that operates in the solar energy sector (distribution of solar panels, photovoltaic system components, modules, inverters, mounting systems and accessories), in rural and peri-urban communities in Niger. 

The entrepreneur

Hi-Tech Solutions was created in 2013 by Edmond Doudou Amadou Moctar. Working in the fields of energy and finance in Niger for more than 9 years, he started his professional career in 2005, where he worked in several structures such as BOA Niger, Care International as a Financier and Accountant. He has been several times leader and member of the Nigerian delegation of business leaders for the trade mission and business opportunities at the level of exhibitions dedicated to solar and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Burkina Faso, Turkey, England, Tunisia and France.

Partnership with I&P and Sinergi

Hi-Tech Solutions is supported by Sinergi and I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. This partnership aims at strengthening the supply chain of solar kits and providing its existing customer base with solar equipment. 

Kouran Jabo, literally "they brought back the light" in local Arabic is a solar energy distributor in Chad. Founded in 2017, this company aims to make solar energy accessible to all social strata in Chad through the sale of solar lamps and kits to households, businesses and also training in installation and maintenance of solar equipment. More than 1118 households and small businesses have already been connected to solar energy, and 60 young people trained in the installation and maintenance of solar solutions.

The entrepreneur

Kouran Jabo was founded by Youssouf Mbodou Ali, a young 32 year old Chadian. Graduated in Management and Business from Lille1-Villeneuve d'Ascq France and Master specialized in Economic and Sociological Analysis of the Euro-Mediterranean zone delivered by ISCA group - Casablanca in Morocco and passionate about the community of his country, he held the position of Marketing and Project Manager of "We Share Property" in Dubai. When he launched Kouran Jabo, he hoped to make solar energy accessible and affordable to 110,000 households and support 600,000 people economically.

Partnership with I&P

Kouran Jabo is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel, funded by the European Union. The funding and support aims to :

• Restructure the administrative, financial, inventory and cash management systems
• Support the opening of 6 new points of sale
• Implement a new marketing and communication strategy
• Formalize 7 existing jobs and create 11 new regular and 11 seasonal jobs by 2023 
• Acquire 1,930 units of solar kits for sale 
• Support the company in raising more funds for the expansion of its activities
• Support the company in the implementation of the waste recycling process

Expected impacts

• Reduction  of polluting fuels (wood, charcoal, animal dung) and deforestation 
• Reinforcement of continuous access to energy in remote areas  
• Improvement of household income through the creation of related activities (telephone booth, battery charging station) 

Created in 2012, HERi Madagascar is a company that specializes in the distribution and financing of solar energy solutions in rural areas of Madagascar.

HERi is a socially committed company that acts on the sustainable economic and social development of rural populations in Madagascar by distributing innovative products and services through a network of energy kiosks managed by women entrepreneurs.

HERi's activity consist of:

• A network of kiosks and distribution points managed by franchised women entrepreneurs who develop the activity of renting solar lamps to populations without electricity in rural areas;
• A network of Microfinance Institutions that offer a credit purchase of HERi products to their clients;
• A PAY-As-You-Go (PAYGo) financing model for people living in peri-urban and rural areas.

HERi is the exclusive representative in Madagascar of two suppliers of solar-powered lighting systems for domestic use: Fosera and d.light. The company currently owns about 100 kiosks and rents an average of 26,000 solar lamps per day.

The entrepreneurs

Samy CHALIER holds an MBA from IE Business School and has 12 years of experience in international management. He has been supervising the restructuring and growth of HERi since 2016.

Ando RANDRIAMALALAHARISON holds a master's degree in finance and is an alumnus of AFD's Lead Campus program. She was an auditor in an accounting firm for 3 years before joining HERi in 2015 where she was first an internal auditor and then Administrative and Financial Director. Since 2017, Ando has been HERi's Deputy Managing Director.

Partnership with I&P

Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) has committed to HERi in order to:

• Develop a model for purchasing solar lighting systems on credit and at an affordable price for households through Pay-as-you-go;
• Enable energy inclusion for many families through a door-to-door approach;
• Fight climate change by providing clean, quality energy to the user;
• Create jobs in the most remote areas of Madagascar through its network of agents and franchisees.

Expected impacts

The company's mission is to bring a better quality of life to the population of rural Madagascar by providing an affordable way to access clean energy essential to their daily activities.

HERi's expansion into the less developed island's regions will create jobs, which is a pillar of development and a source of income for households.

It will allow households to switch to quality, clean and safe energy and away from traditional light sources such as candles and oil lamps commonly used by the rural population.

Learn more about HERi

XpressGas Limited is the fastest-growing and one of the largest LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) companies in Ghana.

The company was incorporated in 2009 and was granted a license by the National Petroleum Authority in 2010 to operate as an LPG Marketing Company. XpressGas currently owns 3 LPG refill stations, 23 LPG Bulk Road Vehicles (BRV-Trucks), and serves a network of 53 third-party owned stations across all the regions of Ghana.

The main focus of the business is on the peri-urban and rural areas of the country, and this is in line with the Government of Ghana’s stated objective to increase access to LPG by 50% in 2030.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is increasingly becoming the preferred choice of fuel in the world and Ghana is moving in the same direction. The increase in patronage could be attributed to its affordability, efficiency and environmental friendliness. The impact potential of switching consumers from harmful traditional fuels such as firewood to LPG is significant.

The entrepreneur

The company is managed by a strong promoter who has built a well-structured business that has advanced up the ranks of the top LPG companies in Ghana within the span of just 8 years.

Mr. Kofi Nketsia-Tabiri brings over 18 years of investing, business development and entrepreneurship experience to the management of XpressGas. Prior to starting XpressGas, Mr Nketsia-Tabiri founded Patient Capital Partners, an energy project development and investment advisory firm that has undertaken several modern energy related projects for international organizations such as the World Bank, Triodos, African Development Bank, United Nations Environmental Programme, etc.

Kofi was the inaugural head of the business innovations unit in Africa at E+Co, the pioneering organization that funded over 250 clean energy investments in emerging markets before its restructuring in 2012. In 2017, Kofi was recruited as an Investment Consultant for the Africa Renewable Energy Scale Up Facility (ARESUF), under the auspices of Micro-Energy International and PROPARCO.

Partnership with IPAE 2

With support from I&P, XpressGas aims to:

•— Consolidate and cement its position in the B2B market

•— Accelerate the launch of the B2C cylinder recirculation model (CRM)

•— Improve health and safety standards

Expected Impacts

⇒— A company at the forefront in increasing LPG availability and access to consumers especially those in the rural areas who continue to suffer from Household Air Pollution (HAP)

Context: It is estimated that about 18% of households in Ghana use LPG as their primary source of cooking. The remaining 72% of households mostly depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking. Exposure to household air pollution is responsible for 16,600 deaths and the loss of 502,000 disability adjusted life-years annually.

⇒— LPG emits lower greenhouse gas emissions than alternatives, CO2 emissions are relatively low. Greenhouse gases are reduced by 5-16 times per prepared meal compared to coal.

⇒— Creation of over 300 direct and indirect jobs over the investment period with specialized training provided to staff

⇒— Contribution towards the development and structuring of the cylinder recirculation model in Ghana to create a safer environment for LPG distribution

Salgatech is a company operating in the renewable energy sector. It specialises in the production and installation of multifunctional cold rooms and ice machines that it markets in Burkina Faso.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Salgatech SARL was created in 2018 by Silvère SALGA. Inventor, innovator, writer and trainer, Silvère SALGA is a seasoned expert in entrepreneurship, research and development, and green energy. He is the author of several scientific works and discoveries such as, Tensis system, The Theory of Transforming Humanity and The Theory of the Changing Universe and has received several awards including the Thomas Sankara Medal for Invention and Innovation and the 2nd Prize for the Best Productive Energy Innovation of the Energy Week, and Renewable Energy in Africa (SEERA). 

CONTRIBUTION OF SINERGI BURKINA

Salgatech is supported by SINERGI BURKINA as part of the I&P Acceleration in Sahel programme. The main objective of this partnership is to :

• Relaunch and strengthen the production capacities of solar cold rooms 
• To set up a "cold landlord" service or service for renting solar cold room spaces.
• Set up an internal accounting system run by a professional.
• Strengthen the sales force

EXPECTED IMPACTS

• Consolidation and formalisation of 17 existing jobs, 6 of which are full-time and 12 new formal jobs for young people and women.
• Contribution to the economy through the payment of taxes to the tax administration
• Reduction of imports and/or the use of electric cold rooms with harmful consequences for the environment 
• Strengthen the agricultural and food sectors by reducing post-harvest losses.

About Sinergi Burkina

 Created in 2014, Sinergi Burkina is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting SMEs and start-ups in Burkina Faso. Headed by Job Zongo, Sinergi Burkina is the second investment fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap).  → To learn more about Sinergi Burkina

Jiro-Ve is a pioneering company in rural electrification in Madagascar, launched in 2014.

Jiro-Ve has come up with an innovative, inclusive micro franchise model to provide affordable and healthy lighting for marginalized communities. Its business model allows the company to rent out a rechargeable LED light for a price that is cheaper than candles or kerosene. For 250 Ariary per day (≈ 0,06 €) people get a fully charged light delivered to their doorstep, both incities and remote rural areas of Madagascar.

Jiro-Ve hires local entrepreneurs and uses existing networks, supporting and developing entrepreneurship.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Jiro Ve is managed by Rik Stamhuis, an entrepreneur of Dutch origin located in Madagascar since 2012.  He holds 48% of the company's capital.

Rik is a driven and energetic leader with years of experience working for social enterprises. Before founding Jiro-Ve, Rik worked in Kenya trying to find innovative ways of distributing renewable energy.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Thanks to funding from the program I&P Acceleration Technologies, Jiro-Ve plans to expand its activity, initially in Madagascar by distributing the new kits in larger quantities and targeting more regions.

The company aims to extend its offer to other regions of Africa later on.

EXPECTED IMPACTS

⇒ Jiro-Ve aims to eliminate poverty by helping local entrepreneurs to have a better income.

⇒ Jiro-Ve's model allows the most disadvantaged consumers to access a source of energy that is less polluting, less dangerous and less expensive than petroleum lamps.

⇒ According to the studies carried out by the company, each lamp used would avoid the emission of 0.37 tons of CO2 per year.

⇒ This energy source also has a positive impact on the health and well-being of users, by reducing the toxic fumes emitted by the candles and kerosene lamps that most target customers currently use.

About I&P Acceleration Technologies

Launched in 2019 with the support of the French Development Agency through its iniative Digital Africa, I&P Acceleration Technologies is a €2.5 million program that aims to finance and support some fifteen digital startups in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Western Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar. Click here to read more →

About Miarakap

Miarakap is the first impact fund dedicated to the financing and support SMEs and start-ups in Madagascar. Managed by Emmanuel Cotsoyannis, Miarakap is the fourth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of its program I&P Development 2. The network currently includes impact funds specialized in SME-financing in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), in Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital). Click here to visit Miarakap's website →