Museveni upbeat over ReadyPay solar power

 President Yoweri Museveni with Fenix International delegation at State House, Entebbe.

Fenix International, the largest provider of off-grid solar in Uganda has presented the ReadyPay solar power system and their plan to bring renewable energy to 1 million households in Uganda to President Yoweri Museveni.

The meeting was held at State House, Entebbe.

The President promised to offer greater tax exemptions on solar to ensure more than 6 million Ugandans can benefit from safe, affordable ReadyPay solar power.

CEO Lyndsay Handler, demonstrated to the President how a customer can benefit from bright lights plus phone charging, radio and more even if they are living off-grid without mains power.

She also revealed that the ReadyPay solar power system allows customers to make a small deposit from just 49,000/- to take the system home and then they can make payments from just 500/- per day over mobile money to complete payment over a number of years.

Handler said: "ReadyPay Solar transforms quality of life in two ways. First, ReadyPay eliminates the need for dangerous kerosene lamps, improves air quality in the home and increases time students have to read at night.  Second, ReadyPay payments are flexible and more affordable than kerosene and candles, enabling Ugandans to save money on energy and build a credit score with Fenix that will unlock a wider world of financing."

 President Museveni urged Fenix to use their unique technology to develop a solar-powered water pump in Uganda, stating that if solar-power water pumps are made in Uganda, the Government will make them accessible for farmers, especially in rural areas.

He said this would help rural farmers tend to their crops and improve harvest production.

"I encourage you to domesticate the technology to manufacture solar-powered water pumps. We want to solve the problem of irrigation using solar-powered water pumps to stabilize agriculture," he told the Fenix delegation.