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Q & A: Social Entrepreneur Brings Solar To Africa

Q & A: Social Entrepreneur Brings Solar To Africa

Karibu means welcome in Swahili, and Adam Camenzuli is trying to make solar lighting and mobile-phone charging affordable in Tanzania through his company, Karibu Solar Power.

Claiming to offer solar at the price of kerosene, Camenzuli’s social business model ensures that he creates business opportunities for local entrepreneurs while keeping money within the community. Even the poorest rural African families can afford his product, and some could even create their own businesses, he told AFKInsider.

Camenzuli, a Canadian, says doing business in Africa is very much like doing business everywhere – there are challenges and opportunities.

As he pursues business on the African continent he is taking time to learn the Kichaga language. Kichaga is a Bantu dialect continuum spoken by the Chaga people of Tanzania, south of Mount Kilimanjaro.

As CEO of Karibu Solar Power, Camenzuli took time to speak to AFKInsider about the journey toward creating a world where everyone has access to clean, safe and affordable light and energy.

AFKInsider : What was your first job?

Camenzuli: My first job was picking vegetables at the farm next door in rural Ontario, Canada.

AFKInsider : How did you find your way to Tanzania and social entrepreneurship?

Camenzuli: I first traveled to Tanzania with Street Kids International, where I worked on programs for street youth to start and manage their own small businesses. I did this for about a year, learned Swahili and developed my interest in social enterprise.

AFKInsider : What is Karibu Solar Power all about?

Camenzuli: The specific product of Karibu Solar Power is a modular solar lamp that comprises a solar panel, rechargeable battery, a charger and light. The product is sold to micro-franchisee small shops as an income-producing “business in a box.”

A Karibu micro-franchisee sells the battery and light components of the lamp to a consumer and keeps the solar panel – the only way to charge the battery. Let’s call this consumer Alice. Alice returns to the shop daily to exchange her empty battery pack for a fully-charged one and she pays what she would otherwise pay for kerosene.

Alice has the option to continue buying the “charge” in the battery daily or purchase the solar panel outright to either use at home or become her own solar entrepreneur. Karibu then goes viral.

AFKInsider : How are you able to provide solar lamps at the price of kerosene?

Camenzuli: We are able to do this because of our modular solar technology and our social business model, which reflects the daily price of kerosene ($0.30 USD) and is a profitable business opportunity for an entrepreneur. The end user saves money, uses solar and charges their mobile phone while the entrepreneur makes money – it’s a win-win.

In comparison to pay as-you-go solar home systems, Karibu requires a very small investment ($25 USD), is easily brought to the most remote locations, does not require maintenance or administration, and has a short three-month payback for micro-franchisees.

We are a social enterprise and initially brought 2,000 solar lamps into Tanzania and sold them. It went well but the people who needed them most could not afford them, so that inspired us to develop our modular solar lamp and innovative business model. By matching what people spend on alternatives, like kerosene, we are able to make solar affordable.

AFKInsider : Why did you choose to venture into the energy sector?

Camenzuli: There is a great need for energy in emerging markets – sub-Saharan Africa especially. There are over half a billion people on the continent who do not have adequate access to light and energy. This presents a major problem and barrier to economic development. It also presents an immense opportunity.

AFKInsider : How would you describe doing business in Africa?

Camenzuli: It is like doing business anywhere – with challenges and opportunities.

AFKInsider : Ordinarily people would expect entrepreneurs seeking an East African footprint to start off in Kenya or Uganda. Why did you go for Tanzania?

Camenzuli: Firstly, we have family ties to the country. Secondly, Canada and Tanzania share values of pluralism, multiculturalism and peace – all of which are important to us as an organization.

AFKInsider : What’s the most motivating thing about your job? Why do you wake up every day and go to work?

Camenzuli: Making a difference, inspiring entrepreneurship and enacting change motivate us. This is also a lot of fun – and we work 100-hour weeks because there is no greater task on Earth than what we are doing collectively at Karibu Solar Power.

AFKInsider : What keeps you awake at night?

Camenzuli: Funding – it has been difficult to raise the required funding to make affordable solar a reality. That is why we are launching a crowd-funding campaign. People can get more information at www.karibusolar.com and I am happy to answer any questions at adam@karibusolar.com.

AFKInsider : How many people are using Karibu power lamps and what’s your target?

Camenzuli: We have sold 2,000 non-modular solar lamps and we aim to get thousands of modular solar lamps into the hands of those who need them the most in the next few years.

What would be your advice to upcoming entrepreneurs targeting Tanzania and Africa?

Camenzuli: Have fun.

If you were to go to any place and take with you only one thing or person, where would you go and with whom or what?

Camenzuli: I would take my mother to see the gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda.