The sun is something that can be counted on in Kampala, Uganda. Even during the rainy seasons, the rain is usually brief and puddles are quickly lapped up by the sun’s rays. Every day laundry is strung out to dry — and does so in only a few hours.
The power of the sun is something Uganda has in abundance, but is just beginning to harness. Many experts are hailing solar power as the country’s key to progress. In 2012, The Daily Monitor published a collection of articles reflecting on Uganda’s past and speculating about Uganda’s future. One article, written by Peter B.O. Nyeko of the Institute for National Transformation, began with the bold title: “Uganda Tops World in Solar Power Potential.”
The series suggests that closing the gap between Uganda’s potential and actual production is something that the country will need to work towards.
Barefoot Power, a company that produces and sells solar panels and charging stations, is trying to close this gap on the grassroots level.
“The potential for solar in Uganda is still virgin…Over 6 and a half million households in Uganda are in need of this solar, ” stated Frank Neil Yiga, business training coordinator for Barefoot Power Uganda.
The story behind Barefoot Power expresses the company’s core goals. In 2005, Australians Harry Andrews and Stewart Crane were contracted by the Australian government to set up an electricity plant in New Guinea. When the project was completed, the men sat down outside to enjoy a beer and look at the work they had done. As night fell they realized that the wires they had built were passing over hundreds of homes that were left in the dark. They had been contracted to set up power distribution, yet this power was not reaching the people who needed it.
Confronted with this irony, Andrews and Crane discussed what they should do to resolve it. As they conversed, they began to notice the fireflies flickering around them. This inspiration would lead to their primary product, the Firefly, a small solar light and phone charging station. Suddenly, Barefoot Power was born.
At a conference in Ghana, Ugandan entrepreneur James Wire saw the Firefly and insisted that it needed to come to Uganda.
“Harry Andrews came [to Uganda] in 2008 to see the market. He came with about 100 Fireflies, and he was surprised — within a month, they had sold out. They were not prepared for that kind of response,” Yiga explained.
The strong response, of course, demonstrated an obvious need in the market. Straddling the equator, the sun sets promptly around 7 p.m. every night, all yearlong in Uganda. When darkness falls, the villages fall silent and the shops of Kampala are dotted with smoking kerosene lanterns.
“The need is great…The deeper you go outside Kampala, the worse it becomes. For people in the villages, shops close at 8 p.m. In most areas in the country, urban centers will have power — but even two kilometers out (1.2 miles), no power. There are even areas in the town centers which have no power. That’s how bad it is,” Yiga added.
The most popular form of light is kerosene.
“The kerosene lamp that is most popular is called the tadoba; it’s an open flame lamp with a string. This lamp has been proven to be dangerous to the lungs and, over time, to the eyes,” said Yiga.
The kerosene lamps are not only a health concern, they are also a constant financial drain for Ugandans living in poverty. According to Yiga, most small homes spend about 500 UGX (20 cents) on fuel every day. While this daily amount is manageable, it adds up to 180,000 UGX ($69) per year. To put it in perspective, a good month’s wage for laborers in Uganda is 150,000 UGX ($57); for those living on the poverty line, spending over a month’s wages on lamp oil is a huge expense.
Since mobile phones changed the landscape of communication in East Africa, another constant expense for Ugandans who live without power is phone charging.
“Nearly all homes in the country have a phone or two. Phone charging per week is 1,000 shillings (38 cents). That’s if you have a very nice battery; some people need to charge their phone every day. Many people are charging twice a week. Over the course of a year, that’s a lot of money,” Yiga explained.
On the grassroots level, these constant bites out of a household’s income have a huge impact on annual finances. For Yiga, Barefoot Power’s Firefly kills two birds with one stone.
“As a company, the small Firefly is the perfect replacement for that. It is a light, and it is also capable of phone charging. It presents both solutions at once.”
In order to get Fireflies to potential customers, Barefoot Power trains micro-franchise entrepreneurs to sell their products.
“These are the smallest grassroots agents. They go door to door selling. They are exemplary people in their communities. These people have a heart for the community, but also some genes for entrepreneurship,” Yiga said.
Kabiswa Ronald is a wood carver who now spends most of his time selling solar power products through Barefoot Power.
“[The solar business] has carried me. It has improved my lifestyle. Before, I had a very small house. Now I have a big house, a car, and several pieces of land,” Ronald explained.
After going through the training offered by Barefoot Power, Ronald quickly became one of their best entrepreneurs. While Ronald claims to have no marketing “formulas,” he is obviously a creative salesman. When he goes into villages, Ronald makes a point to introduce the Firefly to the community leaders at night.
“At night they see the brightness of the light; they see what the product can do,” Ronald said.
Ronald is not the only entrepreneur whose life has been changed by Barefoot Power.
“We have examples of people who have sold their household items to raise enough capital. Because of their commitment, and the sacrifice they have gone through, they are more persistent and committed to the business,” Yiga stated.
“We’ve had people who were street vendors, who are now off the streets. We’ve had ladies who were secretaries and would wait for months for delayed salaries,” Yiga added.
While micro-franchise entrepreneurs are the backbone of Barefoot Power’s strategy, the company also works with NGOs, banks, and shopkeepers who want to sell the solar products.
Amidst the success stories, there are also challenges that the company faces. One of the challenges lies in the company’s greatest strength: its micro-franchise entrepreneurs.
“One challenge — business-wise — is our education system. Our education system mostly nurtures people who will go out and look for jobs; there are few who have the energy and resilience to stay in business,” Yiga stated.
For those that do stay in business, they are quickly noticed and recruited by other companies.
“The more [the entrepreneurs] market the products, the more confident they get, the more people skills they get. As they are doing that, other companies are seeing that and start saying, ‘We like you,'” Yiga said. “Because we don’t hold people down, we lose quite a number who get hired by companies. It’s a major challenge because of the investment we put in — the time to nurture them, the time to train them.”
The problem of people leaving the company lowers the morale of other Barefoot Power Uganda entrepreneurs. “Why are we training entrepreneurs but they aren’t running the day-to-day business in the village? They’re going to other businesses. Is it our fault or their fault? We need to look for a solution,” Ronald stated.
Aside from keeping its entrepreneurs, the greatest challenge Barefoot Power Uganda is facing is the external problem of a market flooded by counterfeits.
“For starters, the government has helped by making solar not taxable. But at the same time, the government has authorized ‘every Tom, Dick and Harry’ to bring in the solar. What happens is that it is self-defeating,” Yiga explained.
Barefoot Power spends a significant amount of money and energy on sensitizing Ugandans to solar power. When this work is undermined by other companies the investment is wasted.
“We go out and sensitize; during that period we’re able to see interest from the communities. But we have a person follow us up; like a hyena, they will wait until we leave and offer them in a different product. That product, in most cases, is 60-80% lower in quality. But if the price is lower, the people will buy it,” Yiga said in frustration.
“The product doesn’t work, and then the people think that solar is bad. We’ll go back to the community and find that the interest is not the same as before. Why? Because they have just had some counterfeit products.”
While the compact nature of Barefoot Power products would appeal to many urban customers, people in the village often reach for a product based on its size, assuming it will be higher quality.
“Guys out in the village normally want to buy the product that is bigger,” Ronald said.
Despite internal and external challenges, Barefoot Power is still committed to its goal of providing clean, affordable energy to those who need it. In addition to health, academic and financial benefits, solar power can add to general well-being. According to Yiga, solar lighting can strengthen the social connections which run through the fabric of African culture.
“You have to appreciate that as Africans we are more social, we are more outgoing, we love community. Where you’ve seen Africans in a group, there is a lot of storytelling and music. This sociability is aided by light,” Yiga said.
From individual homes being lit by Fireflies to large government projects, there seems to be enough solar energy for all.
“Solar energy is still an untapped resource; we’ve not even begun scratching the surface,” Yiga said.