Still, over 600 million people on the continent, especially in rural areas, don’t have access to reliable electricity. In most cities and towns, power outages are the norm and people often have to rely on noisy petrol and diesel power generators.
Solar energy is free, absolutely clean and abundant. And it provides the best alternative for people in remote parts of Africa who are out of reach of electricity grids.
Interestingly, some smart entrepreneurs are rising to the challenge of lighting up Africa through solar energy, and are very likely to join the millionaires club.
I’ll share a few interesting examples…
Off Grid Electric, a solar energy provider in Tanzania recently raised $25 million from international investors and won a $5 million grant from USAID. The company is already on track to provide solar power to 1 million homes in East Africa by 2017 and has recently expanded into Rwanda.
M-KOPA, which provides ‘pay-as-you-go’ solar power systems has attracted investments of up to $40 million. This Kenyan-based business has already provided solar power to nearly 300,000 homes in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.