Profile: Mediana Ngosso – East Africa

9. Mediana,What is your off-grid energy business?

My off-grid energy business idea is drying fruits and vegetables by using solar energy technology.

Can you give a brief overview?

The process will involve drying of fruits and vegetables by using a friendly energy which is solar energy, so as to tackle the problem of food wastage and ensure availability of food even if they are out of season

What inspired you to start working in off-grid energy?  Are there any key people who inspired you to work in this area?

Environmental management was the course I persuaded, therefore I always wish the world living in a better and clean environment, this highly inspired me to start this business, which makes the environment free from pollution and therefore, off-grid energy was a perfect choice for me.

Have you lived in an off-grid community?  If the answer is yes, what is something you want people with reliable energy to know about growing up off-grid?

Yes, I have lived in a community with off grid, there are a lot of problems faced by people in those communities; for example wastage of time, since they spend most of their time searching for firewood, likewise they are exposed to different health problems such as, eye and lung problems, due to extreme smoke produced in the process of cooking and lighting

What is the most important thing you have learnt so far by being on the off-grid energy track

The things which I have learnt being in the off-grid track, is getting more experience being to the area with an off-grid energy, and getting to know the views and what energy is more preferred by such communities. Likewise, the track has got me an exposure to work with different team members so as to solve the problem of energy in the country at large

What are some of the challenges you have faced when coming up with an off-grid energy business?

The challenges which I got when coming up with the off-grid, some of the ideas I had for example the wind energy, it seemed as if it is a complicated idea since it needed a huge amount of money for the implementation and even for the prototype at large

Also, most of the areas which we visited in Dar es Salaam, were not in off grid areas as such since most of them are not connected to grid but the grid energy was available

Where do you hope to be 3 years from now?

In 3 years to come I hope to see myself as a successful entrepreneur, helping and serving the community and even the world at large from food wastage and ensure availability of food, which is more accessible all the times, affordable and also living in a clean environment by emphasizing the use of renewable and reliable energy.

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