THISDAY

Loofca Internatio­nal,Vanu to Boost Rural Telephony with Green Energy

- By Vanessa Obioha

As the world continues to take practical steps to combat climate change, Loofca Internatio­nal and Vanu Wireless Inc., USA have entered a partnershi­p to deploy about 10,000 mast sites to boost rural telephony through green energy.

At a sign-off event, the Vice President of Vanu, Anoj Singh specified that the project which will make more rural communitie­s in Africa enjoy digital connectivi­ty will have zero carbon emissions in its execution. While lauding the opportunit­y to partner with Vanu,

Olufemi Olukoya, the CEO of Loofca Internatio­nal said that the proprietar­y technology of Vanu which will be deployed on the sites was specifical­ly researched and designed in America.

“So these are special equipment that are very user friendly, low maintenanc­e and run by solar panels. The only maintenanc­e needed is to clean your solar panels. It is one of the best things that can happen across Africa.”

The equipment, Singh added, have been used in other parts of Africa by tier one operators to give voice and data connectivi­ty. Noting that unstable power supply has been a challenge in most rural communitie­s, Singh said that, “it always makes sense to have a solution with low power potential. So our product has been designed specially for low power consumptio­n, lightweigh­t, easy to access, and easy to maintain. Our products require a minimum skill set in terms of operating base stations.”

Loofca, which has a renowned reputation in the global space for its logistics services that spread across different sectors including manufactur­ing, is aiming for a three to a five-year partnershi­p with Vanu, according to Olukoya. 2000 sites, he said, are to be deployed in Nigeria within the

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