Get Guardian on GoogleNigerian energy company, Sunrisal Ltd, has secured a $25,000 grant from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to expand access to solar electricity for rural households and traders, beginning with Sokoto State.
The grant, awarded under the third call of the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP), will support the company’s artificial intelligence-driven solution aimed at making solar power affordable through flexible repayment arrangements.
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sunrisal, Collins Nnadozie, disclosed this at the event, saying that the grant recognises the importance of electricity to economic empowerment.
With an estimated 85 million Nigerians lacking reliable electricity, Sunrisal said its initiative would help bridge the energy gap while improving the livelihoods of rural traders and small business owners
Nnadozie said: “A trader who can keep the lights on can trade longer, charge devices, store goods and earn more.”
The company’s solution uses artificial intelligence to assess customers’ weekly earnings and determine repayment plans that reflect their financial capacity.
In his remarks, the Co-founder and AI Engineer, Tamuno Opubo Dappa, said the innovation would eliminate the burden of rigid repayment arrangements imposed on customers regardless of their income.
He said: “Most schemes have fixed repayment terms irrespective of customer purchasing power. Our AI solution looks at how much a trader earns each week and sets what they can pay accordingly.”
Since its launch in 2024, ECOWAS has supported selected renewable energy companies across West Africa through its grant programme.
Under the first call, the regional body selected 32 solar small and medium-sized enterprises from 1,373 applications.
For the latest round, Sunrisal emerged among the successful beneficiaries selected from more than 1,200 applications across West Africa.
The company said the grant would support its ambition to provide solar energy solutions to more than 20,000 households and small businesses across Nigeria.
