Through insights from multiple interviews, we take a look at how Habiba Ali, the Chief Executive Officer of Sosai Renewable Energies company developed her passion for renewable energy products and sustainable energy consulting for communities across Nigeria. ExcerptsI never planned on starting a business My husband and I had originally founded a non-governmental organization focused on renewable energies. In this role, I was invited in 2009 to Uganda for the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (PCIA) Forum. Did you know that using a kerosene lamp for just three hours can create fumes equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes' I didnt, and it scared me. I passed women street vendors in my neighbourhood who sold their products by a kerosene lamp for no less than five hours a day. I was buying bread from women whose lungs were going black with fumes. One day I bought 10 solar lamps and loaned them to the women in my neighbourhood to use in place of the kerosene lamps. A month later, they did not want to give them up. This was the beginning of Sosai Renewable Energies. Today, we provide renewable energy products and sustainable energy consulting to communities across Nigeria.Identify a critical need and know your customerIn Nigeria, we have a huge energy problem. Many communities are not connected to the grid, and families have to use generators and kerosene lamps to light their lives. At the same time, many Nigerians are very poor. While our lamps are cheaper than kerosene or battery-powered lamps in the long run, they can be a big investment for Nigerians with very little income. To succeed as a company, we had to balance this critical energy need with the realities of our customers lives. We have worked hard to bridge that gap by securing enough financing to provide customers with rent-to-own and other payment options for renewable products.Sosais goal has been to provide alternative and affordable renewable energyFrom the onset, Sosais primary goal has been to provide alternative and affordable renewable energy in rural and semi-urban areas with the aim of improving the quality of livelihood within these communities. Our products have global standards. We provide clean energy to homeowners, businesses, schools, non-profits and government organizations at a lower cost than they pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels. Some of Sosai products include solar powered lamps, improved cook stoves and filters. The company is headquartered in Kaduna State, and has offices in MinnaNiger State and Kano State. The business focuses on the assembly and distribution of solar powered home systems, solar powered lamps, solar power boxes and improved cook stoves including and not limited to other livelihood improving products like water filters. Our products are substitutes for power and lighting appliances such as generators, conventional lanterns and candles. We also focus on the creation of micro-enterprises and training of individuals especially women to build solar power boxes and become energy entrepreneurs in their communities.Build a strong network; find training and a mentorOver the years, I have faced numerous barriers in building my business. In 2015, I participated in a one-year accelerator program called the Vital Voices GROW Fellowship. The program allowed me to explore my capabilities as a leader and provided me with the training to successfully grow my business. The most important thing an entrepreneur can do is to find training and a mentor who can help set her business up for success. As a woman entrepreneur in Nigeria, building a community of mentors and support has been very important to my career. Last year, the VV GROW Fellowship connected me to a global network of women entrepreneurs. It has been amazing to see the growth and success that these women have accomplished since our training, and know that I was there with them from the start. We are now a group of friends and sisters, holding each others hands through hurdles and growing together without any animosity.Dont listen to naysayersI have been in business long enough to know that the journey, especially for a woman in northern Nigeria, is filled with challenges and frustrations every step of the way. Many did not approve of me working so hard outside the home and it was difficult to obtain funding for my business when I first started. But business also changed my life. It enabled me to discover the me within me, my driving force and my strength. I believe any woman can start a business, if she really sets her mind to it. The risk we face is the fact that our products are still sold by us directly and not yet in the market. As a result of this, we are concerned about our growth prospects. Multiple taxations and customs clearance hurdles are some other issues, and including, of course, behavioural change.Pay it forwardIt had always been a dream of mine to involve women in the sale of renewable energy products. Renewable energy is not a very girly business, and for that reason, I think that women really need to show their prowess in this field. Thats why I launched the Matan Arewan Sosai energy entrepreneurship initiative, which aims to help women become energy entrepreneurs and use clean energy technologies like solar refrigerators, kiosks and milling for income generating activities. So far, we have recruited about 30 women and are working to source additional funds so that we can extend more income-generating activities to women. By doing so, Im paying it forward and helping more women stand on their own financially. Also, we get a lot of commendation and joy from people who use our cook stoves. Of course, we have had people who complain about the performance of our products. But we have come to realize that its often a function of learning how to use them appropriately. So we train and retrain the users of our products and provide after sales services.
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