This Nigerian startup is solving the problem of phone charging with solar energy

abiola

September 8, 2017 11:48 AM

Saja is riding on the premise of being a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way of charging your phones.

A solar powered mobile cart charger named Saja has rolled out to help in solving problems associated with phone charging.

One Saja station cart can charge up to 50 phones simultaneously using fast charging cables and desktop chargers. A full phone charge takes approximately 120mins.

This welcome startup formed in May was tested at a NYSC orientation camp in Lagos and at the RCCG camp in Ogun state. The reception was encouraging.

On what inspired the business idea, the co-founder Seyi Fakoya recounted watching a roadside vendor sell airtime while also recharging people’s phones using a generator.

“I have rarely used their service as I have various sources to charge my phones. It dawned on me that there are millions of people that don’t have what I have, and I thought if there was a way of providing this service in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way, we could be onto something big,” he said.

Saja now charges over 200 phones daily with the deployment of 10 of these carts, with this being done in an environmentally safe manner with solar power.

Fakoya adds that the business also provides auxiliary services such as agent banking, point of sale and merchandising.

The startup has raised debt capital from the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, and has also signed an Agent Network Agreement with AppZone Group to manage agents on their behalf.

“We are currently servicing Lagos, but aim to move fast as we scale our infrastructure to cover Nigeria. We plan to conquer Nigeria in the next two years before expanding to other countries,” Fakoya explaining the strategy and vision of the business.

Saja makes money via transaction fees, customer acquisition fees, direct service fees and advertising on its carts.

“We are currently earning from the direct service fees. We are in pre-revenue stage and as we build our tech and our network, we shall implement other forms of revenue methods,” Fakoya said.

This service begs a question of how much will this affect the mobile power bank business in Nigeria in the long run.

abiola