EXPERT EYE

More than 600 million people across Africa don’t have access to power, but off-grid solar solutions have the potential to change this. ENGIE subsidiary Fenix International discusses

ENGIE subsidiary Fenix International on the importance of energising the continent

Many African countries still face the very real threat of an energy crisis. Energy development in rural regions has not kept pace with the growing demand across the continent. However, there are organisations out there working to improve the lives of African people through smart, unique, inclusive initiatives.

I recently joined Fenix International as Chief Commercial Officer, championing the company’s march towards not only empowering rural communities with clean energy, but providing the unbanked with access to reliable, fit for purpose financial services.

The potential and challenges

Currently more than 600 million people in Africa do not have access to power. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, two in every three people lack access to electricity. The majority of this area needs clean energy for basic needs such as lighting, powering radios and mobile phones to have access to the rest of the world. A lack of clean, safe and affordable light in off-grid homes negatively affects health, education and local business.

Africa is currently undergoing a huge upheaval in terms of technological advancement, population growth and improvement to cultural richness. Infrastructure is getting better and better, and this is a really exciting time for next-generation energy companies.

Inevitably there are both challenges and opportunities in delivering clean, affordable energy to people across the continent.

One of the challenges we address is in ensuring our customers’ existing energy budgets are utilised appropriately, and that they are able to deal with any negative financial changes.

Another challenge comes in the form of climate change, as this affects the income of farmers who form the majority of our clientele. Moreover, there is a poor perception of solar energy across the continent, a lack of adequate road infrastructure to facilitate the distribution of our kits and poor financial infrastructure in rural areas to support customer repayments.

We believe it is possible to address these issues with the internet services provided, and to this end we’ve built the ideal product for our customers. This consists of an energy source capable of powering two lights, but customers can scale this up or down to meet their needs. They can upgrade this basic kit by adding larger batteries and more solar panels – this allows households the flexibility they need to match their home solar system to their budget.

Furthering a mandate

At Fenix, it’s our goal to bring affordable energy and other lifechanging products to the millions of

people currently living off-grid. We shall continue to listen to our customers to get a better understanding of their needs and work to continuously build an affordable solution to meet their needs and aspirations that delivers an exceptional customer experience.

We also need to continue to build the infrastructure to reach the last mile. This includes both improving the distribution of our solar kits but also the repayment systems for customers so they can easily access our products and also make repayments. We work with our customers to build the right lifechanging product bundles for them which will positively impact their household incomes and productivity. Our short-term goal is to expand into 10 countries, creating a business model which can be adopted across the entire continent. We’ll achieve this by continuing to invest in a high-performing team who love what they do and take ownership in their decisions and work, ensuring customers are treated with respect and dignity.

We’re committed to delivering lifechanging products, and my significant experience in building distribution models that have delivered products to people in rural areas will play a particular role in achieving this mission.

Financial services are a key component of the product offering and will be critical to support Fenix’s effort to service existing and new customers. This combination will position us perfectly to counter the challenges we face and allow us to make real headway in bringing affordable, clean energy for all across Africa.