Malawi through Kumudzi Kuwale Limited is set to light up rural villages by constructing 300 charging stations by 2021. Kristian Viflot, Director of Charging Stations, Kumudzi Kuwale Limited confirmed the reports and said that the project aims at providing light to an estimated 150,000 rural Malawians.
“The company’s mission is simple: provide sustainable energy for everyone. The “No one should be left in the dark” project aims at providing affordable light to the marginalized, rural population of Malawi,” said Kristian.
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Solar charging stations
The project will enhance unlimited access to affordable light to through Kumudzi Kuwale’s charging station concept whereby residents will pay less than US $1.50 electricity fee per month. By building charging stations in rural villages far from the national Malawian electricity grid (ESCOM), Kumudzi Kuwale provides unlimited charging of small light beacons for 1000MWK per month to villagers who would otherwise not be able to access affordable, renewable light.
The Director noted that the rapid scale-up of the charging station concept has been made possible through funding from EEP Africa, Grønn-Hagen Bjørke Malawi Foundation (GHBMF), and Nkhotakota Youth Organization (NYO). The lights will be economical, long-lasting and efficient compared to the dominant biomass energy usage (kerosene and firewood) in the villages.
“We are very proud of our charging station concept. As one of very few companies in Malawi, we have managed to provide light to the most marginalized in the population, and at the same time, we have been able to create a business model that is both profitable and sustainable for the company,” said Kristian Viflot.
According to the UNESCO report, Malawi current electrification rate is at 9% with an alarming rate of below 5% electricity connection is the rural areas. Around 25% of urban households have been electrified through the national electricity grid.
About Kumudzi Kuwale Limited
Kumudzi Kuwale Limited is a Malawian for-profit social enterprise, headquartered in Nkhotakota, Central Malawi. The company specializes in solar electricity installations and solar engineering. To achieve its mission of providing sustainable energy for everyone, the company has established three separate business units; shops selling solar equipment to private households (Nkhotakota and Kasungu), solar installations providing electricity to commercial and government functions, and rural charging stations for people not otherwise able to access affordable renewable energy solutions.
