WIDENERGY AFRICA SUSTAINABILITY
WO M E N L E A D I N G THE LAST MILE I
n a country where access to electricity stands at 31 percent – and just 11 percent in rural areas according to the Africa Hub of Sustainable Energy for All – there is a pressing need for last mile distribution. At the forefront of addressing Zambia’s energy demands, WidEnergy Africa is the inspirational company dedicated to the empowerment of women and providing last-mile distribution of clean energy solutions. Since inception in 2016, WidEnergy has evolved from a humble start-up employing women as door-to-door agents, to a company of scale and ambition, backed with the funding of significant partners. We lift the lid on the women changing Zambia’s energy landscape with CEO and co-Founder of Wid Energy Africa, Ms. Lliane M. Ndananeze. Africa Outlook (AO): What drew you to work in the energy industry, particularly in Zambia? Ms. Lliane M. Ndananeze, CEO and Co-Founder (LM): I was inspired by the need to give back by making a positive change and impacting people’s lives. In 2013, my family and I relocated to Zambia after spending seven years living and working in Washington D.C. During a trip outside Lusaka, we visited a clinic where nurses had to use their phone torches to help a pregnant mother deliver her baby, and they explained how access to electricity was a big challenge in the Chinyunyu neighbourhood. That was my “aha moment” and from then 12 | Africa Outlook issue 96
Ms. Lliane M. Ndananeze
With the goal to reach 45,000 households in the next four years, WidEnergy is the female-founded start-up delivering sustainable energy and empowerment for the women of Zambia Writer: Phoebe Harper
on, I knew I was going to spend the next chapter of my life working with women to turn this around. Two years later, we went back to the same area, recruited and trained women as sales agents to sell Pico-solar products on a cash basis. And that is how WidEnergy was established in September 2016. AO: Could you briefly introduce us to WidEnergy Africa? LM: WidEnergy Africa is a company that focuses on a lending portfolio
and a distribution network. We offer an affordable path to electrification with our Pay As You Go (PAYGO) solar solutions. Our mission is to empower women to become the champions and advocates of clean and renewable energy. We conduct direct sales in local communities, working with our door-to-door sales agents whom we recruit and train. Our field teams, 40 percent of whom are women, own the sales and the on-boarding process. This also allows our field teams to build solid and long-term relationships with our customers within their communities. Customers are connected to energy, the internet and mobile money at each point of sale. Our goal is to reach 45,000 households in the next four years and to directly impact up to 300,000 people in Zambia. AO: Why is it so important to you to empower African women as agents for climate change? LM: Despite the ongoing rhetoric about women’s empowerment, we are yet to witness tangible progress. Investing in women pays dividends since women invest 90 percent of their earnings in food, health and education for the household. Given the significant role that women play in Africa and Zambia in particular, whether in the formal or informal sector, at WidEnergy we believe that any efforts to empower Africans as agents for climate change must include women. Besides, agriculture and electricity
