A female small business owner and customer of one of our financed portfolio companies in Burkina Faso, Oolu by Ignite, can now contribute to the household economy thanks to an installed off-grid solar kit that provides electricity for running a refrigerator.
In a neighbourhood of Bobo-Dioulasso, where grid infrastructure exists but electricity has yet to arrive, Tinta Setou and her family used to rely on charcoal, gas and small solar lamps for their daily energy needs. The lamps provided only a few hours of light each night, limiting household activities and business opportunities.
Her husband, a state security officer, invested their savings in a small, informal solar system that provided improved lighting but could not power appliances. Since their compound was one of the few that was well lit at night, neighbours often assumed they had refrigeration and asked for cold drinks. Seeing an opportunity, Tinta – who stays home to care for their young children – decided to start a juice business. The challenge she faced was finding affordable financing for a solar system capable of running a refrigerator.
Through word of mouth, Tinta learned about OOLU Burkina, which offers solar kits through a PAYGo model. OOLU assessed the family’s needs and installed an OOLU Power Hub, allowing them to avoid the high interest rates typically charged by microfinance institutions. Next, the family purchased an energy-efficient refrigerator with their own savings.
“With the solar kit, I can work, earn money and support my family. I am no longer waiting for electricity to arrive – I have created my own opportunity,” explains Tinta Setou.
Tinta now makes and sells about 40 jugs of fresh juice per day – made from millet, hibiscus and ginger – to neighbours and local restaurants. Her business generates an average monthly income of XOF 308,000 (€470), which she uses to repay the OOLU loan, cover household expenses and invest in new assets, such as livestock, a motorcycle and a television.
The family’s quality of life has improved significantly. Reliable electricity has enabled income generation, strengthened household stability and given Tinta greater independence. Her next goal is to purchase a second solar system to power a freezer and offer highly sought after ice.
“Thanks to BGFA’s funding, OOLU has been able to expand its solar solutions to new communities and customer segments that previously had no access to electricity. This has been made possible through more affordable pricing and the introduction of new products designed to reach different layers of society. Today, thousands of families and entrepreneurs can light their homes, grow their businesses and improve their daily lives thanks to clean and accessible energy – something that would not have been possible without the BGFA incentive,” comments Iréné Yacouba, Responsable expérience client et superviseur des ventes, OOLU.
For further information, please contact:
Aliona Fomenco, Senior Programme Manager, Nefco
aliona.fomenco@nefco.int, +358 10 6180 647
Lia Oker-Blom, Communications Manager at Nefco
lia.oker-blom@nefco.int, +358 10 618 0671
About Oolu
OOLU has been operational since 2018 in Burkina Faso, selling solar stand-alone systems, and is today part of Ignite Energy Access. The company’s PAYGo business model can offer attractive payment terms to their customers. Results-based financing enables OOLU to meet residential, commercial and institutional needs, including productive-use appliances and equipment. Its’ simple solar kits that enable lighting and phone charging are very popular in rural areas. OOLU aims to install up to 2,700 new energy connections in the country with the support from BGFA.
About BGFA
The Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA) is a multi-donor facility established and managed by Nefco – the Nordic Green Bank. Nefco is an international financial institution based in Helsinki, Finland, focusing on environmental and climate investments and fund management. BGFA is implemented by Nefco, with the support of two project implementation partners: NIRAS, a development and engineering consultancy company headquartered in Denmark, and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), an international multilateral partnership based in Vienna, Austria.
The current EUR 110+ million BGFA programme was established in 2019 on Sweden’s initiative through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). It has since been developed by Nefco into a multi-donor programme funded by Denmark through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany through its development bank KfW, Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Norad and Sweden. Read more at www.beyondthegrid.africa
Photo: Tinta Setou filling juice jugs and placing them in the refrigerator – Salia Konate for NIRAS.