Regional Bio-Energy Summit [Abuja - Nigeria]

FARA (www.fara-africa.org), in conjunction with the Nigerian government, recently hosted a conference, tagged: Regional Dialogue on Renewable Energy Technology for Increased Agricultural Productivity and Sustainable Development.

Experts from Nigeria and across the globe exchanged ideas and action plans on ways that renewable and sustainable technologies could:

a) rejuvenate agricultural productivity in Africa, which has been in regression in the last 2 decades.

b)enable Africa, with its rich endowment of abundant natural, mineral and human resources, produce enough food to feed itself and generate foreign exchange earnings from the export/sale of surpluses.

R-L: Dave Agbakoba (Solar Jooce) with Prince Ike E Ubaka(Deputy National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria - AFAN)

Dave and Kenton Dashiell of IITA, with Dr A.B Salifu (Director general CSIR -Ghana) in background

Panelists, Day 2. L-R: Dave Agbakoba (Nigeria); representative from Morroco; Gifty Baaba Asmah (Ghana); Dipal Barua (Bangladesh); Hervé Azemtsa (Cameroun)

They did it! Oyo rural ladies graduate

Five long weeks - from community sensitisation to graduation - the rural ladies from Oyo state stayed with the class and rose to assemble two varieties of solar lanterns.

The graduation ceremony was emotional, with "Alhaja Jesu" saying she is illiterate, but after assembling solar lanterns from scratch, feels like a whole new educated person.

Then there's Miss Alawode who breaks into song when the class gets difficult, and helps everyone overcome. She's also the fastest 'assembler', churning out more units than anyone else.

We cannot forget the trainee who has already invested in tools for her new solar micro-business - and wrote a mission statement to boot.

Or the trainer, Momanyi, who is forever positive, pushing the ladies gently to believe they can scale any hurdle. His work ethic is amazing.

How about Dave, Solar Jooce CEO, giving workshop direction, tirelessly providing supplies, and replacing every broken multimetre and soldering iron?

Kudos to Bishop O. O. Oduntan who rallied the ladies of his Parish to perform.

Five wonderful weeks of hard work, team spirit, and exhilarating achievement.

The work has just begun, though, as we shepherd the ladies long-term to ensure they master their craft.

Thank you BATN Foundation, for your support. And a big thanks to Hertz for transporting us between Iseyin and Lagos the entire time.

The lady solar tech trainees were transported to Lagos on Friday, July 06, 2012 to take part in a training seminar conducted by Mrs. Yemi OWOLABI (Executive Director of Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, Nigeria).

The training session, delivered in Yoruba, was titled "Growing your new solar business".

The ladies received valuable strategy information on how to package, finance and market their products.

They were then taken back to the Cow Market at Iseyin (Oyo state) to get a practical feel of what they had been told about in the seminar (how to sell their products and if, indeed, there was a market for it). They were delighted to get a very positive response! Solar really is the way to go.

Slowly Emerging - Rural Women Solar Technicians

Resistors, switches, capacitors, breadboards, diodes. These rural women from Oyo state of Nigeria are on top of things, and they are so excited to be learning a new skill. They have been segmented into four groups and the competitive streak is already at play. Who knew? Solar Jooce's rural women's solar training project is breeding a proudly Nigerian crop of rural women technicians, and probably bringing the sleepy towns of Iseyin, Kajola, Itesiwaju and Oyo West back to life. It just doesn't get better than that. We continue to thank our key sponsor - BATN Foundation; our logistics sponsor - the Hertz corporation/ C& I Leasing Nigeria; our PR sponsor - Sesema PR; and the brilliant Oyo state co-ordinator - the tireless Bishop of Ajayi Crowther Diocese, Bishop O. O. Oduntan.

Rural Women's Solar Training: Day 01

Fantastic first day of training. The class started with us wondering how the women would cope with technical details. There was absolutely no cause for alarm. The women (selected from 4 Local Government areas of Oyo state) were amazing, showing just how quickly they could grasp the way components of a solar appliance worked together. Very encouraging.

Solar Jooce, African Partners Train Rural Women

L-R): Anne Agbakoba (Solar Jooce); Dr. Vincent Kitio (Chief of Energy, UN Habitat, Nairobi-Kenya); Dave Agbakoba (CEO, Solar Jooce) during Kitio's visit to Nigeria to collaborate with Solar Jooce and a team of Kenyans, Camerounians and Nigerians to train Oyo state rural women in assembling solar appliances. The training workshop is funded by BATN Foundation, with sponsorships from the Hertz Corporation/C&I Leasing, and Sesema PR.

May 17, 2012 - It's Official: British American Tobacco of Nigeria (BATN) Foundation & Solar Jooce Collaborate on Rural Women Solar Training

(R-L): Mr. Gbenga Ibikunle (Executive Director, BATN Foundation) and Dave Agbakoba (CEO, Solar Jooce) sign a collaboration agreement to train rural women in Oyo State in the assembly of basic solar powered lighting and phone charging appliances

(L-R) At St. Paul’s Cathedral, Iseyin – Oyo state: Dave Agbakoba (CEO, Solar Jooce); Bishop O. O. Oduntan (Bishop of Ajayi Crowther Diocese) announce the collaboration agreement between BATN Foundation and Solar Jooce to train rural women from four different local government areas in Oyo state in the assembly of basic solar powered lighting and phone charging

BATN Foundation, an independent charitable organisation, and Solar Jooce recently signed a collaboration agreement to train rural women in Oyo State in the assembly and repair of basic solar powered lighting and phone charging appliances. The signing ceremony was presided over by Mr. Gbenga Ibikunle (Executive Director, BATN Foundation) and Dave Agbakoba (CEO, Solar Jooce). The objective of the pilot is to train an initial 20 rural ladies in a trade which they can turn into micro businesses, as well as provide their communities with an alternative to dangerous and expensive fossil fuelled lighting such as kerosene lanterns. According to Mr. Agbakoba: “Of the world's 1.6 billion people living without electricity, 80% live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Solar Jooce women’s empowerment initiative is therefore a small step in the daunting task of providing a clean, alternative source of electricity, alleviating poverty, and providing opportunities for rural families in Nigeria”. The training workshop will span five weeks (June 11 - July 17, 2012), and will cover four Local Government Areas in Oyo state - Itesiwaju, Kajola, Oyo West, and Iseyin – before moving on to other states in Nigeria. The Bishop of Ajayi Crowther Diocese, Bishop O. O. Oduntan is the co-ordinator of the Oyo state pilot, identifying areas that have little or no electricity and helping in the selection of trainee rural women solar technicians. Logistics (transportation) is sponsored by the the largest car rental brand in the world, the Hertz Corporation/ C&I Leasing Nigeria. Hertz Nigeria have supported the vision of Solar Jooce from inception. Solar Jooce is also receiving communications support from foremost PR company, Sesema PR (www.sesema.com).

April 25, 2012 - Rural Areas Need RE badly

In May 2010, we set out on a 36-state, 17-day road expedition of Nigeria. Our objective was to find out first-hand what the lighting needs of Nigeria's rural populace were, and at the same time, introduce the concept of Renewable Energy (RE) solar by handing out solar appliances. Two years down the line, we still receive confirmation that we are on the right path, and filling a crucial social need. Solar jooce has stepped things up since then and is now on the verge of launching its capacity building project - training rural women to assemble basic solar appliances. This is really fulfilling work.

April 15, 2012: Solarised Farm (Cat Spring, TX)

Since inception, Solar Jooce has followed a deliberate plan to provide solar for Nigerians at the base of the pyramid (BoP). This is with a view to spurring development by beginning at the grass root level. From our tour of rural communities across all 36 states of the country (May 2010), to matching solar appliance donors with villages in need, and on to a hands-on tour of a solar fabricating plant in rural Cameroun - central Africa (July 2011), Solar Jooce further enhanced its rural solar implementation strategy with a learning session at a village animal farm in Cat Spring, Texas (USA). The Animal Farm is a 17-acre permaculture centre that runs largely on solar. Slowly and steadily, Solar Jooce is so very near its objective of assembling a home grown solar solution for the Nigerian masses. Ultimately, we just want to help move the human development index (HDI) needle in a positive direction. What a journey.