Uganda – M-KOPA Solar has officially announced that it has connected over 20,000 off grid homes in Uganda affordable solar power. It is now expanding its distribution nationwide and targeting to add 50,000 more homes by the end of 2015.
M-KOPA Solar is the global market leader of ‘pay-as-you-go’ energy for off-grid customers. Launched in Kenya in October 2012, M-KOPA now provides solar power to over 150,000 Kenyan homes. M-KOPA began pilot operations in Eastern Uganda in mid-2013 and is now scaling up across the country.
Customers can acquire the company’s latest solar system – the M-KOPA III – for a deposit of UGX 99,000 plus 365 daily payments of UGX 1400. The daily price is cheaper than what customers would pay on average for the equivalent in kerosene lighting and charging services.
After a year of daily payments, customers own their systems outright with no further billing. The deposit is fully refundable and customers can receive real-time customer support from M-KOPA’s toll free call center, 7 days a week. All payments are made conveniently over either MTN Mobile Money or Airtel Money platforms.
The M-KOPA III comes with an 8W solar panel, a high quality lithium battery, two LED solar lights with switches, a solar rechargeable LED torch, a solar rechargeable radio and a mobile phone charger. The M-KOPA III is upgradeable to include two additional solar lights – sold separately.
Jesse Moore, Managing Director and Co-Founder, M-KOPA Solar, says, “We are very proud of the M-KOPA III solar home system and our success to date in Uganda. Together we are helping Ugandans get rid of kerosene, improve their standard of living and save money all at once. It’s a win-win for everyone.’’
M-KOPA Uganda has added more than 20,000 customers in the past 15 months. According to Anthony Weremaka, General Manager, M-KOPA Uganda: “In Uganda M-KOPA is now connecting over 500 new homes to solar each week, and even bigger growth lies ahead. We have nearly 100 terrific staff and 200 sales agents across the country who earn a good income selling M-KOPA products and services. We’ll be doubling in size over the course of this year and so looking for other talented people to join our team, be part of this great company and change people’s lives.”
Customers are connected at one of the 15 service centers across the country, or they can call 0800122333 to arrange an appointment with a direct sales representative. The number of service centers are set to double to achieve national distribution by end of this year.
Jesse Moore concludes, “In many markets around the world, solar is seen as something of a luxury. But in Uganda solar is giving people an essential foot on the energy ladder and helping them save money. We are proud to have 20,000 customers already but also know we are only beginning to make our positive impact in Uganda – the best is yet to come.”
