African company tackles energy access challenges in Sierra Leone, Liberia

Africa’s Easy Solar company is making significant strides in transforming the energy landscape of Sierra Leone and Liberia in the midst of a global push for renewable energy. 

Companies providing solar power to some of the most underserved households in Central and West Africa are among the fastest-growing businesses on a continent where governments have long faced challenges in tackling poor infrastructure and the effects of climate change, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.  

These predominantly African-owned enterprises operate in regions where the majority of residents are off the electricity grid, offering a range of products from solar lamps that enable nighttime study for children to comprehensive home systems capable of powering kitchen appliances and televisions. Prices for these products vary widely, starting from under $20 for a solar lamp to several thousand dollars for full home setups.  

Central and West Africa boast some of the lowest electrification rates globally, with 220 million people in West Africa lacking access to electricity, translating to a mere 8 per cent electrification rate, according to the World Bank. Many households resort to costly kerosene and other fuels, which not only produce harmful fumes but also pose significant fire risks.

At the recent United Nations climate summit, countries worldwide committed to tripling renewable energy generation capacity by 2050. Although Africa contributes minimally to global carbon emissions relative to its population, solar energy has emerged as a cost-effective solution for electricity access.  

A report from the International Energy Agency this year highlighted that small and medium-sized solar firms are making significant strides in reaching households, but substantial investment is needed to ensure all African homes and businesses have power by 2030. Currently, around 600 million Africans lack electricity access from a total population exceeding 1.3 billion.  

Among the fastest-growing companies in Africa for 2023, as listed by the Financial Times, is Easy Solar, a locally owned business providing solar power to homes and businesses in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The ranking is based on the compound annual growth rate in revenue.

Co-founder Nthabiseng Mosia, who experienced frequent power outages while growing up in Ghana, became passionate about addressing energy issues in Africa during her graduate studies in the US. She and a classmate started the company in Sierra Leone, a country with one of the lowest electrification rates in West Africa. "There wasn’t anyone really operating solar on a large scale, so we saw it as a great opportunity," Mosia stated in an interview. 

Since its inception in 2016, Easy Solar has provided solar power to more than a million people in Sierra Leone and Liberia, which together have a population of over 14 million. The company has established a network of agents and stores across all 16 districts of Sierra Leone and seven out of nine counties in Liberia.

By Naila Huseynova