Angaza Design
Approved to post Kiva loans from: Zambia
Kiva conducts regular, ongoing monitoring of all Lending Partners, but only posts status updates here in response to relevant, major changes at the partner.
March 31, 2015
Kiva and Angaza Design have agreed to end their partnership after over 2 years. Given Angaza's transition to a pure business-to-business licensing model, they are no longer in need of direct loans. This Lending Partner has repaid its outstanding balance to Kiva in full, and these funds have been distributed to lenders. We thank Angaza Design for the years of collaboration and wish them success in their future endeavors.
Partner Description:
Angaza Design is a for-profit social enterprise that creates and sells high-quality solar energy devices. By using human-centered design principles, the company aims to reshape the off-grid market, while enabling millions of consumers to purchase modern energy alternatives for the first time.
Angaza makes an energy device called the SoLite3 Solar Home System. It contains specialized Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) technology that allows the enterprise to lower the upfront price of the system, making it more affordable. Customers make their loan payments in advance, essentially pre-paying for energy. Otherwise the device deactivates until they choose to make their next payment. These payments are rent-to-own, and the unit permanently unlocks after its full price has been reached.
Angaza currently sells the SoLite3 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia and is piloting Kiva loans in Zambia. Supplying power remains one of the main challenges facing Zambia’s economy. About 10 million people live in the country without electricity, using unsafe sources of light and heat such as kerosene, candles, gas, wood and diesel. The World Health Organization estimates that the use of such fuels contributes to 551,000 premature deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa every year.
Angaza Design sells PAYG products below working cost in order to make them affordable to low-income clients. That is why there is a substantial working capital gap inherent in their business model. Kiva funding alleviates this working capital burden, allowing the organization to fulfill orders placed by customers who are currently on a product wait-list.
A unique lending approach
PAYG loans are regulated wirelessly by enabling or disabling energy devices remotely depending on clients’ payment status. Customers make a PAYG micro payment of the size of their choice from their cell phones using a mobile money service. They then receive an automated voice call from Angaza’s Energy Hub payment management system using audible tones, and the solar device is enabled for energy output proportional to the amount paid. A rent-to-own model is used, so that the unit permanently unlocks once the customer has reached the full price.
Angaza Design client Benedetha was finally able to pay for solar energy little by little through PAYG technology.
Aganza Design’s customers tend to live in rural areas where connection to a centralized grid is unavailable or prohibitively expensive. The average customer saves more than $400 over the life of the system. The organization distributes its products through its sales agents who are usually unbanked entrepreneurs in need of working capital to purchase solar light inventory. Kiva lenders’ funds will help support the sales agents to obtain inventory and sell it to end consumers.
In addition, some end-users use the system’s cell phone charging functionality to earn additional income by selling charges, either as a new business venture or as a new revenue source for an existing business. Finally, end-users make SoLite payments via mobile money, and many are signing up for mobile money accounts for the first time after purchasing the unit. As a result, previously unbanked customers gain access to banking services, and may be encouraged to begin saving small amounts via this service.
Angaza Design’s operations in the country are facilitated by its partners Zamsolar and Airtel, a market leading telecom company in Zambia. This partnership enabled the company to create its robust PAYG payment infrastructure.
Angaza Design joined Kiva through our Experimental Partnership Program, and has therefore received a lighter level of due diligence. Accordingly, loans associated with this partner carry a higher level of risk than typical Kiva loans.
Image courtesy of Angaza Design.
March 31, 2015
Kiva and Angaza Design have agreed to end their partnership after over 2 years. Given Angaza's transition to a pure business-to-business licensing model, they are no longer in need of direct loans. This Lending Partner has repaid its outstanding balance to Kiva in full, and these funds have been distributed to lenders. We thank Angaza Design for the years of collaboration and wish them success in their future endeavors.
Partner Description:
Angaza Design is a for-profit social enterprise that creates and sells high-quality solar energy devices. By using human-centered design principles, the company aims to reshape the off-grid market, while enabling millions of consumers to purchase modern energy alternatives for the first time.
Angaza makes an energy device called the SoLite3 Solar Home System. It contains specialized Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) technology that allows the enterprise to lower the upfront price of the system, making it more affordable. Customers make their loan payments in advance, essentially pre-paying for energy. Otherwise the device deactivates until they choose to make their next payment. These payments are rent-to-own, and the unit permanently unlocks after its full price has been reached.
Angaza currently sells the SoLite3 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia and is piloting Kiva loans in Zambia. Supplying power remains one of the main challenges facing Zambia’s economy. About 10 million people live in the country without electricity, using unsafe sources of light and heat such as kerosene, candles, gas, wood and diesel. The World Health Organization estimates that the use of such fuels contributes to 551,000 premature deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa every year.
Angaza Design sells PAYG products below working cost in order to make them affordable to low-income clients. That is why there is a substantial working capital gap inherent in their business model. Kiva funding alleviates this working capital burden, allowing the organization to fulfill orders placed by customers who are currently on a product wait-list.
A unique lending approach
PAYG loans are regulated wirelessly by enabling or disabling energy devices remotely depending on clients’ payment status. Customers make a PAYG micro payment of the size of their choice from their cell phones using a mobile money service. They then receive an automated voice call from Angaza’s Energy Hub payment management system using audible tones, and the solar device is enabled for energy output proportional to the amount paid. A rent-to-own model is used, so that the unit permanently unlocks once the customer has reached the full price.
Angaza Design client Benedetha was finally able to pay for solar energy little by little through PAYG technology.
Aganza Design’s customers tend to live in rural areas where connection to a centralized grid is unavailable or prohibitively expensive. The average customer saves more than $400 over the life of the system. The organization distributes its products through its sales agents who are usually unbanked entrepreneurs in need of working capital to purchase solar light inventory. Kiva lenders’ funds will help support the sales agents to obtain inventory and sell it to end consumers.
In addition, some end-users use the system’s cell phone charging functionality to earn additional income by selling charges, either as a new business venture or as a new revenue source for an existing business. Finally, end-users make SoLite payments via mobile money, and many are signing up for mobile money accounts for the first time after purchasing the unit. As a result, previously unbanked customers gain access to banking services, and may be encouraged to begin saving small amounts via this service.
Angaza Design’s operations in the country are facilitated by its partners Zamsolar and Airtel, a market leading telecom company in Zambia. This partnership enabled the company to create its robust PAYG payment infrastructure.
Angaza Design joined Kiva through our Experimental Partnership Program, and has therefore received a lighter level of due diligence. Accordingly, loans associated with this partner carry a higher level of risk than typical Kiva loans.
Image courtesy of Angaza Design.
Repayment Performance on Kiva
| This Lending Partner | All Kiva Partners | ||
| Start Date On Kiva | Mar 11, 2013 | Oct 12, 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Loans | $400 | $1,959,307,040 | |
| Amount of raised Inactive loans | $0 | $222,235 | |
| Number of raised Inactive loans | 0 | 190 | |
| Amount of Paying Back Loans | $0 | $161,570,650 | |
| Number of Paying Back Loans | 0 | 189,208 | |
| Amount of Ended Loans | $400 | $1,768,476,020 | |
| Number of Ended Loans | 1 | 2,370,357 | |
| Delinquency Rate | 0.00% | 12.09% | |
| Amount in Arrears | $0 | $12,154,807 | |
| Outstanding Portfolio | $0 | $100,506,286 | |
| Number of Loans Delinquent | 0 | 72,423 | |
| Default Rate | 0.00% | 1.83% | |
| Amount of Ended Loans Defaulted | $0 | $32,355,409 | |
| Number of Ended Loans Defaulted | 0 | 84,925 | |
| Currency Exchange Loss Rate | 0.00% | 0.50% | |
| Amount of Currency Exchange Loss | $0 | $12,005,888 | |
| Refund Rate | 100.00% | 0.54% | |
| Amount of Refunded Loans | $400 | $10,526,300 | |
| Number of Refunded Loans | 1 | 9,596 |
Loan Characteristics On Kiva
| This Lending Partner | All Kiva Partners | ||
| Loans to Women Borrowers | 100.00% | 78.24% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Loan Size | $400 | $392 | |
| Average Individual Loan Size | $400 | $589 | |
| Average Group Loan Size | $0 | $1,892 | |
| Average number of borrowers per group | 0 | 8.3 | |
| Average GDP per capita (PPP) in local country | $4,100 | $5,600 | |
| Average Loan Size / GDP per capita (PPP) | 9.76% | 7.00% | |
| Average Time to Fund a Loan | 0.07 days | 8.93 days | |
| Average Dollars Raised Per Day Per Loan | $5,520.77 | $43.86 | |
| Average Loan Term | 9 months | 11.47 months |
Journaling Performance on Kiva
| This Lending Partner | All Kiva Partners | ||
| Total Journals | 0 | 1,178,731 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journaling Rate | 0.00% | 42.24% | |
| Average Number of Comments Per Journal | 0.00 | 0.02 | |
| Average Number of Recommendations Per Journal | 0.00 | 0.57 |
Borrowing Cost Comparison (based on 2009 data)
| This Lending Partner | Median for MFI's in Country | All Kiva Partners | ||
| Average Cost to Borrower | 0% APR | 74.00% PY | 27.02% PY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profitability (return on assets) | N/A | 3.2% | -3.10% | |
| Average Loan Size (% of per capita income) | N/A | 10.00% | 0.00% |
Country Fast Facts
- Country:
- Zambia
- Capital:
- Lusaka
- Official Language:
- Bembe 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.2%, unspecified 0.4%
- Population:
- 14,638,505
- Avg Annual Income:
- $4,100
- Labor Force:
- agriculture: 85%, industry: 6%, services: 9%
- Population Below Poverty Line:
- 60.50%
- Literacy Rate:
- 63.40%
- Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000):
- 66.62 deaths
- Life Expectancy:
- 55.83 years