WidEnergy Africa empowers Zambian women by providing affordable solar energy solutions and promoting digital access.
WidEnergy Africa (WidEnergy) provides affordable, solar-powered energy solutions to off-grid communities in Zambia while empowering women through inclusive employment and digital access initiatives. Co-founders Liliane Munezero Chabuka (CEO) and Agnes Imasiku, are part of a rare breed of entrepreneurs who see clean energy as a vehicle for access and opportunity. Through WidEnergy, they are using solar energy to transform how rural Zambians live and work.
How it started
In 2016, Liliane Munezero Chabuka co-founded WidEnergy alongside Agnes Imasiku in partnership with Swedish social enterprise, BiziSol. They aimed to address the critical issue of energy poverty across Zambia, where more than half the population lacked access to reliable electricity. But unlike many startups in the space, WidEnergy placed women at the heart of its delivery model, creating a cross-section of clean energy access and female economic empowerment.
What sets WidEnergy apart
WidEnergy Africa Ltd is a women-led company registered in Zambia. It is focused on empowering women and providing last-mile distribution of clean, reliable, and affordable solar energy solutions to off-grid rural communities.
The company operates in eleven districts across six provinces in Zambia, reaching over 8,500 households and indirectly impacting nearly 60,000 people. At the core of their operations is the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) model, which enables customers to make small, manageable payments via mobile money platforms like MTN, making it easier for families in off-grid communities to own solar-powered lighting systems.
The innovation doesn’t stop at affordability. WidEnergy’s workforce is mainly female, and its network of over 300 sales agents is also predominantly female. These women are trained community educators on clean energy, climate change, and financial literacy.
In 2020, WidEnergy secured support from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion. With this support, the company launched a digital access project, offering PAYGO smartphones and digital literacy training to rural users, particularly women and persons with disabilities. The aim was to dismantle digital barriers alongside energy barriers.
WidEnergy’s portfolio also includes collaborations with global solar brands such as Greenlight Planet, d.light, Little Sun, and Koolboks. In 2019, it secured equity investment from Germany’s GreenTec Capital Partners, enabling the company to scale its operations and expand its rural reach.
A growing national presence
WidEnergy has emerged as one of Zambia’s leading off-grid energy providers in just under a decade. The company has been a key grantee under the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa and is now part of the national conversation on sustainable energy development. Its solar solutions have extended children’s evening study hours, improved air quality by replacing kerosene lamps, and enabled rural women to establish small-scale businesses using solar lighting.
In 2023, the company’s CEO, Liliane Munezero Chabuka, was honoured with the Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Award at Zambia’s She-N-Tech Awards, hosted by the National Technology Business Centre.
