A joint venture agreement has just been signed between the British electricity provider Bboxx and the French group Geocoton Advens. The agreement covers the electrification of 2 million people via off-grid solar systems.
Bboxx is entering the off-grid solar market in Burkina Faso. The British company will invest in the West African country through a joint venture with French cotton fibre and seed group Geocoton Advens. The group buys cotton from Burkinabe farmers before processing it for the international market. The objective of the merger between the two entities is to set up a joint venture with the mission of providing access to electricity to 2 million people in Burkina Faso, before expanding to other West African countries.
The two partners will achieve their goal through the solar home systems that Bboxx provides. In rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, where purchasing power is relatively low, the British company is banking on paying for equipment in small amounts via the mobile payment solutions available. Bboxx has already opened subsidiaries in neighbouring Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and Rwanda.
The creation of 500 jobs
The introduction of Bboxx’s solutions is a boon for Burkina Faso. This country with a population of over 20 million is one of the worst performers on the African continent when it comes to access to electricity. According to Power Africa, only 20% of Burkinabes have access to electricity, and only 5% of these are in rural areas. And the country has an installed capacity of 568 MW.
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“Although electricity access rates in Burkina Faso are very low, the potential for clean energy to have a positive impact on people’s lives is immense. Building strategic partnerships is key to securing the funding and momentum needed to provide millions of people with much-needed clean energy. This market entry is the first of many, and we have an exciting series of activities ahead of us in our mission to transform lives through energy access,” says Mansoor Hamayun, Bboxx’s chief executive officer.
The London-based company estimates that the deployment of its electricity access solutions in Burkina Faso will create 500 jobs. In addition to the distribution of solar home systems, Bboxx plans to introduce other energy access solutions such as solar water pumps for irrigation, as well as clean cooking via liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Jean Marie Takouleu
