Imagine living in a remote village in Sierra Leone. The absence of electricity infrastructure makes accessing essential commodities, such as lighting and gadgets, a struggle. One day, a company named Easy Solar comes along, providing affordable and accessible solar energy solutions. You are now able to light your home and charge your phone, despite never having been connected to the grid. This innovative solution is courtesy of Dr. Nthabiseng Mosia, a driving force of Easy Solar.
Dr. Nthabiseng Mosia is a South African woman who has made remarkable strides in making solar power accessible to the poorest and most remote communities in West Africa. Growing up during a period of frequent power cuts in South Africa, Mosia was aware of the importance of reliable electricity. She co-founded Easy Solar with Alexandre Tourre and Eric Silverman in 2016.
Easy Solar is a company offering innovative solar energy systems through a unique pay-as-you-go model (PAYGo model). Solutions range from small lanterns for lighting and phone-charging to larger home systems that can power radios, TVs, and fans.
Shockingly, about 87% of Sierra Leone’s population, and countless in other West African countries, lack access to the electricity infrastructure. Traditional energy systems are costly, unreliable, or impractical in these locations. Easy Solar’s solution remedies this issue by harnessing solar energy—a resource that's abundant in Africa.
Mosia’s innovative approach addresses two significant barriers—cost and accessibility. By offering a range of products and a PAYGo model, Easy Solar makes solar energy affordable and payments manageable for financially constrained households.
Their impactful community-driven distribution model also allows products to reach even the most remote communities, thus bridging the energy access gap.
Since Easy Solar's inception, it has positively impacted hundreds of thousands of lives. The company has employed over 500 locals, 40% of whom are women, bringing the benefits of solar energy to over 350,000 Sierra Leoneans. It has also expanded its reach to Liberia and Guinea.
Driven by their mission to expand energy access, Mosia and her team continue to innovate their product line, introducing new products like solar-powered TVs and refrigerators. To date, they have sold over 60,000 solar units and are continuously expanding their operations.
Through her incredible work with Easy Solar, Dr. Nthabiseng Mosia demonstrates the power of innovative entrepreneurial solutions in addressing systemic socio-economic issues—like energy accessibility. By understanding local needs and developing innovate solutions, she has illuminated the lives of many, providing them with opportunities that would have remained in the dark. Her story offers an impactful lesson for every aspiring entrepreneur—innovation fueled by empathy can indeed create a world of difference.