Azuri and Unilever Launch Mobile e-Voucher System for Off-Grid Rural Consumers in Kenya as a Gateway to Goods and Services
BUSIA, Kenya, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pay-as-you-go solar pioneer Azuri and consumer goods company Unilever today launched an e-voucher system designed to help off-grid rural consumers in Kenya access consumer goods and services via pay-as-you-go solar.
During the visit to Kenya by UK Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year, Azuri and Unilever announced that they were teaming up to bring solar to millions more off-grid homes across Kenya and, with that, modern goods and services to enhance family life.
As part of the offer, Azuri customers who purchase a Quad solar home lighting system receive an e-voucher for free Sunlight washing powder for every week they top up their pay-as-you-go solar system.
The e-voucher system, powered by telecommunications provider Safaricom, has been developed to ensure the widest coverage across the remotest areas. Customers can redeem the e-vouchers at any participating kiosk or trader.
"This is an example of how Azuri is helping rural consumers to access modern services and goes beyond just providing lighting as a service. Through our collaboration with leading consumer and telco companies such as Unilever and Safaricom, off-grid households are finally enjoying the benefits that technology and modern living can bring, powered by solar," says Snehar Shah, Azuri General Manager for East Africa at the official launch in Busia County, Kenya.
Anthony Esyalai, Home Care Marketing Director for Unilever East Africa lauded the partnership adding that it will go along way in improving the livelihoods of many Kenyans. "Unilever through our Sunlight Brand is proud to leverage on its vast distribution networks to help connect more Kenyans access clean power while at the same time providing a product that allows them to look after their families and their homes in a more hygienic way."
Azuri has been a leading provider of pay-as-you-go-solar home solutions in Kenya since 2012.
The Azuri Quad complete solar home lighting package comes with a 10W solar panel, four powerful LED lights, USB port and mobile phone charging, rechargeable radio and rechargeable torch.
The Quad solar home system features Azuri's unique HomeSmart™ machine-learning technology that learns and adjusts to each customer's needs. It even monitors weather conditions and adapts to ensure 'light all night'.
Over 600 million people in Africa have no access to electricity. Azuri is delivering reliable, renewable and distributed power on an affordable pay-as-you-go basis.
About Azuri Technologies Ltd.
Azuri Technologies is a leading commercial provider of PayGo Solar Home Systems to rural off-grid communities. With the widest reach of any provider across East and West Africa, Azuri is leveraging solar and mobile technology to allow users in 12 different countries to access renewable, distributed power on a pay-as-you-go basis. Azuri's HQ is located in Cambridge, (U.K.), with substantial regional offices in Africa, including our East African HQ in Nairobi and our West African HQ in Lagos. For more information, please visit: www.azuri-technologies.com
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the leading suppliers of food, home and personal care products in Kenya. With about 19,000 employees, Unilever is one of the largest private employers in the region. Working to create a brighter future every day, Unilever helps people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Its portfolio includes most loved locally produced brands, OMO, Sunlight, Royco, Geisha and Vaseline, as well as key world's renowned brands, like Knorr, Dove, Lux, Axe, among many others.
Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan underpins the company's strategy and commits to:
* Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
* Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
* Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.
The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. The company's sustainable living brands are growing 50% faster than the rest of the business and delivered more than 60% of the company's growth in 2016.
Unilever was ranked number one in its sector in the 2017 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In the FTSE4Good Index, it achieved the highest environmental score of 5. It led the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the 2017 GlobeScan/Sustainability annual survey for the seventh year running. Unilever has pledged to become carbon positive in its operations by 2030. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/
Media Enquiries
Gina Ghensi | Azuri Technologies Ltd. | gina.ghensi@azuri-technologies.com | +44 (0)7769875422
Patrick Muchiri | PR Manager, Unilever East Africa | Patrick.Muchiri@unilever.com | +254-0725 06 41 49
Kenneth Kwama | info@mediaagency.co.ke | +254-763-815-159
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