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June 28, 2021
Many isolated communities are living far away from grid connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa.
Relevant and affordable energy solutions, like mini-grids and solar home systems, are enabling these communities to leap-frog the grid, imitating how most homes jumped from landlines to mobile phones in the telecom industry. However, the future of smart grids is disproportionately accessible to the emerging markets in Africa. Energy poverty is multi-layered and sustainable lighting solutions have been the most vital technology intervention, but represent only a fraction of what constitutes global access to energy.
Powering energy access with ‘hidden design’
In 2018, we moved our operations from India to Africa.
Every country in Africa is unique, with its own challenges to overcome. The only way to facilitate energy access in a market is to understand the underlying factors which stand in the way. This goes beyond just treating the symptoms by providing technical and payment solutions.
Local capacity development for the off-grid energy sector is a big word and even though there has been progress, there is still a lot to do. Thanks to the common vision and funding support from the Signify Foundation, Rural Spark can develop a program to increase the solar engineering capacity for the local distributors in eight countries Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, DRC, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and Mozambique.
Over the next few months, together with Enlight Institute, we will be able to provide solution-oriented training for aftersales skill development and solar technical toolkits. The goal is to hire one person per country and provide advanced solar engineering training to them, and then training the salesforce of each distribution partner.
Bringing together market actors to roll out effective after sales service can be a game changer in said markets for the benefit of Bottom of Pyramid customers. Among other spillover effects, this will create job opportunities, develop local knowledge and improve the current access to energy. This project is a crucial enabler in taking solar technology closer to the last mile. With the support of impact driven institutions like Signify Foundation, we continue our journey to capture sunshine in the homes of Africa.
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2023, we had sales of EUR 6.7 billion, approximately 32,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for seven consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for four consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.
