Heard of M-KOPA Solar, the mobile based system that allows customers to lease solar power systems by providing a pay-as-you-go energy service to people across East Africa? Since its launch in 2012, M-KOPA Solar has managed to improve lives of people in Kenya as well as neighbouring countries.
Through the system, customers are able to purchase a solar home system by first depositing about KSh 3,000 ($35), after which payments of 43 cents will be made on a daily basis for a period of 1 year and after successful payment completion, the customer solely owns the system.
The payment arrangement of up to KSh40 daily that the company offers customers is much cheaper that that required when making purchase for Kerosene to use on lamps for lack of electricity, which makes M-KOPA Solar the better option as it is more affordable and effective.
According to the company, since its launch just over two years ago, the system has so far connected more than 150,000 homes to solar power in the East Africa region and says they are growing that number with 500 new homes each day.
Now, the solar power company is planning to launch a training and development program through a University that is expected to provide world class technical and business skills development to employees, sales agents and partners.
Dubbed M-KOPA University, the facility will be hosted in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, where the company is headquartered and is planned to provide both onsite and remote curriculum that will offer training to about 1000 staff and 3,000 sales agents across East Africa.
Licensing and distribution partners in other parts of Africa as well as Asia are also planned to receive the training once the university is in place.
This new development comes after M-KOPA Solar bagged the 2015 Zayed Future Energy Prize earlier this week, an award introduced in 2008 to award the best company with the most promising renewable energy in sustainability.
Along with the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the company received a total of 1.5 Million dollars (KSh133 Million), which will be used for the establishment of the training and development program in Nairobi, Kenya.
Receiving the prize, Jesse Moore the MD and Co-Founder of M-KOPA Solar said, “The prize brings global attention to M-Kopa Solar’s business model, which has brought clean, affordable solar power to 150,000 homes in East Africa in less than three years.:
He added that with the wireless energy revolution just beginning, the company expects to power millions living off the grid.
“With the recognition and backing of the Zayed Future Energy prize, we will continue to develop oour exceptional team in order to reach millions of customers as soon as we can,” Moore said.
