It’s a gamble that Ignite Power in Rwanda has won. The solar kit supplier electrified 5,000 households in rural areas in two months. Ignite Power’s record is part of its Pro-Poor Extreme Affordability Programme. Launched three years ago, before the spread of Covid-19 in Africa began, this project aims to electrify households in the most remote areas with very low purchasing power.
Thus, the connected households will pay a flat rate of 860 Rwandan francs (86 euro cents) per month. The small amount payment used in this programme is facilitated by “mobile banking”. This method of payment by mobile phone is available in many parts of the African continent, even in remote areas.
“It is thanks to the uncompromising support of REG (Rwanda Energy Group) and development partners, who immediately understood the importance of electricity for households during the containment caused by Covid-19 and have supported the operations from the beginning,” says Arthur Houston, Managing Director of Ignite Power Rwanda.
Apart from the REG, Ignite Power has received support from Energising Development (EnDev), an organisation that supports private investors in the energy sector; and Urwego Bank, a Christian faith-based microfinance organisation based in Kigali, Rwanda. The 5,000 solar home systems installed in rural Rwanda add to Ignite Power’s portfolio in Africa, where the company already provides access to electricity to more than one million people.
In Sierra Leone, the company has challenged itself to provide access to electricity to 2 million people in rural areas with a $150 million investment. The results are eagerly awaited.
Jean Marie Takouleu