Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
More players are exploring the Nigerian solar energy market to provide consumers with better alternatives as the country battles with poor electricity supply from the national grip, which collapses at the slightest opportunity.
The latest entrant into the ecosystem is d.light, a global leader in social transformation. The company plans to flood the market with over 25 million sustainable products, including solar lanterns, solar home systems, TVs, radios and smartphones sold globally across over 70 countries.
At the launch of the brand in Nigeria recently, the chairman of the board, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, explained that the company’s goal is to bridge the gap and ensure inclusiveness for everyone.
“Our vision is to change the lives of billions of people on the face of the earth who cry for equity to have a chance to live a better life. We are in Nigeria to transform Africa one community at a time, and this is our driving force,” she said.
In his address, the co-founder and CEO, Ned Tozun, stated that d.light had employed over 6,000 people across Africa.
“Our target is lower-income individuals. There is the sun in the village and the cities, so when we just say a rural market, it is not. The guy who lives in Lagos but doesn’t have a generator shouldn’t even use a generator if he can have a solar solution. Why? Because of environmental sustainability.
“So, when you think about all the ESG matters, you will encourage more people to use alternate sources of energy rather than polluting sources of energy. That helps everywhere, whether you are in the city or the village. It is about lower income.
“What we’ve done is to think of the entire problem chain. Firstly, innovate the product. Two, how do you deliver it? Deliver it to them at the most reasonable price. Thirdly, make sure it’s affordable for them.
“How is it affordable? It is pay-as-you-go. They don’t have to look for the capital to buy. They look for signing-up, proving they have the ability to be able to pay every week – they have a different system: every week, every month, every day – are different available options, and as you increase your credibility ratio in terms of your performance, you then have opportunity to get into more,” he said.
On his part, the co-founder and president, Mr Sam Goldman, said, “The reality is that we are still so far from where we need to be in terms of our population and their needs.
“Hence, our target market is the low-income individuals, not just the rural communities, which is why the company adopts the ‘pay-as-you-go” model. Access to sustainable energy will not be possible except we solve the funding problem.”
d.light was established in 2007 by Ned Tozun, a Canadian, and Sam Goldman, an American, met at Stanford Business School. It has operated in several markets globally like India, China, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia before expanding to Nigeria.
