By Alois Vinga, bird story agency

Young William Ponela always hated staying in the dark after their paraffin-powered lamps ran out.

Raised by his grandparents in rural Chivi, a district in the Southern part of Zimbabwe, they could not afford to secure a reliable lighting source. This forced him to miss out on long hours of study time. 

"During the rainy season, we would sleep very early because the whole place would be dark since there was no moonlight. So I kept thinking and asking myself: 'how can people get access to uninterrupted electricity?'".

After graduating as an engineer from the University of Zimbabwe, Ponela worked for several companies before forming the solar systems specialising company ZONFUL Energy. He spent half a decade on research and a lot of trials of a lot of options.

"We are customer centric so the five years was to listen to the customer and fine-tuning our product to suit the customers' requirements. So by the time we launched in 2016 we had gone through a process where we had tried a number of products," he said.

His initial startup capital was US$50,000, raised through crowdfunding with the assistance of a non-profit organisation, Kiva. These funds were realised after travelling to Dubai to pitch the idea at an energy conference where investor interest was generated.

He also got funding from Persistent Energy - a Swiss-based company which provided a convertible loan of US$410 000 and did not wait for the tenure of the loan to lapse as they chose to convert their loan into equity.

Before these companies (Persistent Energy and Energy Access) came into play, Ponela had won a business competition Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, where his idea was awarded US$1 million. He was asked to get matching funds for every dollar they would receive.

The requirement prompted Ponela to raise an equivalent from outside, which is how Energy Access Venture and Persistent came to the table. Of the $1 million he received, US$400,000 was extended as a non-repayable grant; the rest is a non-interest-bearing loan.

"The company has grown significantly, with 70 direct jobs and over 2,000 jobs. Our solar products have powered over 30,000 homes around the country, with 80% of the total being rural homes that either pay through the use of direct cash or pay as you go after a small initial deposit is made and the balance payable over 18 to 24 months as the client enjoys the use of the product," he said.

The company has received widespread acclaim locally and internationally. In 2018, just one year after it started operating, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) listed ZONFUL Energy among Africa's top 360 inspiring companies.

The LSE Inspire Africa 2019 report identified Africa's most inspirational and dynamic private, high-growth companies to a global market and grouped the entity alongside the continent's influential firms.

Back home in 2020, the Chartered Institute of Project Managers showered the company with four prestigious awards: Economic Impact Project of the year, Transformation project of the year, Renewable Energy project of the year, and Covid-19 Health care Project of the year.

Last year, Zonful Energy returned to the international radar after being nominated for the Ashden Awards 2022 as a finalist in recognition for delivering innovative climate solutions. Out of 203 applicants, the company became one of the two finalists.

One of Zonful's customers, Forbes Vela, hails the company's products for managing to meet the energy's needs.

"I bought the solar systems called the Home 120 and the Home 400 for US$250.The products were on special offer. I paid a deposit of US$40 and monthly instalments of US$15 until I cleared the balance.

"My family has benefited a lot from these products since my family now has access to good lighting for home study. My children are able to study at night and enjoy home entertainment by watching TV. We no longer have hardships in charging cell phones," he said.  

Currently, the company is working on a regional expansion strategy and already has a subsidiary in Mozambique.

bird story agency