Business a.m.

All On, Greenage Technologi­es seal $500,000 investment deal to expand solar capacity

- Rosemary Iwuala

SHELLFUNDED IMPACT INVEST MENT COMPA NY, All On, has invested $500,000 in Greenage Technologi­es Power System Limited to fund the constructi­on and expansion of its charge controller­s and inverters manufactur­ing facility in Enugu State, South-East Nigeria.

The investment, which is a mix of equity and convertibl­e debt, will help Greenage Technologi­es in the realizatio­n of its aim of becoming Africa’s largest solar electronic­s manufactur­er by doubling its existing manufactur­ing capacity for inverters, charge controller­s, and the possibilit­y of assembling lithium-ion batteries, said Ogechukwu Uchechukwu, co-founder and head of business developmen­t, Greenage Technologi­es.

“We are delighted to receive this support from All On that will reduce the cost of solar energy components through local manufactur­ing,” he said.

All On said the investment will enable Greenage Technologi­es to expand its manufactur­ing business through the acquisitio­n and developmen­t of a new factory and fund its working capital needs – enabling it to meet the increasing demand for locally manufactur­ed solar system components.

Wiebe Boer, CEO, All On, said the company was proud to close another transactio­n to enhance the localisati­on of the solar supply chain, adding that through this investment, All On was lowering the proportion of solar components imported into Nigeria.

“This investment is at the core of our commitment to investing in youth-driven Nigerian companies like Greenage to accelerate the sector’s growth and contribute to closing the energy access gap,” Boer said.

Greenage was a United States African Developmen­t Foundation (USADF)/All On Off-Grid Energy Challenge winner in 2018, receiving $100,000 to fund the installati­on of solar systems in over 40 households and businesses, he said.

“This additional funding is an indication of All On’s growing confidence in the company’s vision to play an increasing­ly important role within the Nigerian renewable energy value chain as a manufactur­er of solar energy system components,” he said.

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