Azuri Technologies, a provider
of pay-as-you-go solar home systems and Unilever Kenya, a player in
consumer goods in Africa, have announced a partnership to bring solar
home solutions to millions more off-grid homes across Kenya.
The announcement comes as Prime Minister Theresa May and UK business
leaders, including Azuri CEO Simon Bransfield-Garth, arrive in Kenya for
a state visit to boost trade ties.
Under the terms of the deal, Azuri’s Quad solar home system will be
co-branded with the Unilever Sunlight brand and offered through
Unilever’s distribution network, which in Kenya is some 67,000
smallholder traders. The Unilever distribution network will complement
Azuri’s existing partners in country, Raj Ushanga House and Mobicom.
Over 600 million people in Africa have no access to electricity and
many such households are located in regions where the provision of grid
electricity is prohibitively expensive. Azuri has been helping to
address this challenge since 2012, through its innovative solar home
solutions, delivering reliable, renewable and distributed power on an
affordable pay-as-you-go basis.
The partnership between Azuri and Unilever marks the next step in
this journey, expanding the reach of pay-as-you-go solar through the
widely-recognised and trusted Sunlight brand of washing powder and
building on Unilever’s mission to bring high-quality sustainable
products to Kenyan consumers.
Solar power has been shown to have powerful economic and social
benefits. A recent study reports owners of solar home systems on average
increased their incomes by US$35 per month. In addition, data shows
that children
spend more time doing homework in the evenings and to date, Azuri has
created over 2,000 new jobs through its Kenyan partner companies to
sell, support and maintain solar home systems.
“The partnership with Azuri will help deliver life-changing solar
technology to off-grid communities and provide Unilever customers and
traders with the benefits of modern energy. Solar power is proven to
support the local and wider economy and further supports Unilever’s
commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Justin Apsey,
Managing Director East Africa at Unilever.
Azuri CEO Simon Bransfield-Garth said: “Azuri is delighted to be
partnering with Unilever to expand further the reach of solar
pay-as-you-go technology. The partnership is fully aligned with both
Azuri and Unilever’s mission to a triple bottom line of simultaneously
delivering social, environmental and financial returns to customers and
investors alike.”
Ahead of the announcement Prime Minister Theresa May commented:
“Azuri Technologies’ innovative approach to mobile technology embodies
the pioneering spirit of innovation for which Cambridge is globally
renowned. I’m delighted that Azuri Technologies is joining me on this
visit and they are a fantastic example of the success UK companies can
achieve when they think big and forge global partnerships.”
Azuri’s Quad solar home lighting system features Azuri’s
award-winning HomeSmart™ technology with artificial intelligence that
monitors weather conditions and learns customer usage patterns to adjust
output to ensure a full night’s power.
The Azuri Quad solar home lighting system includes a 10W solar panel,
four bright LED lights, USB port and connectors for mobile phone
charging, rechargeable radio and rechargeable torch.
AzuriTV, the first
PayGo solar TV system of its kind to be launched in Africa, features a
24-inch super slim LED TV, over 100 satellite TV channels, four bright
LED lights for use inside and outside the home, mobile phone charging,
rechargeable radio and rechargeable torch.
In 2018, AzuriTV was named ‘Innovative Technology of the Year’ at the
annual Africa Utility Week Industry Awards, honouring pioneering
projects and people in the industry. Azuri was also named the 233rd
fastest growing company in Europe by the Financial Times and named in
Red Herring’s Top 100 Europe.
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