Publications
Africa is home to one of the world’s largest off-grid populations; approximately 590 million people live with no connection to their national electric grid. As a result, large segments of the continent’s population rely on hazardous forms of flame-based lighting, which produce very low levels of light output and require regular purchase of fossil-based fuels. This off-grid population presents a sizeable market opportunity for producers of low-cost alternative lighting products, such as those that are LED-based and charged through solar or other means.
The Lighting Africa initiative aims to address the lighting needs of off-grid populations by making safe, affordable, durable, and environmentally sustainable lighting available to the masses. Lighting Africa recognizes that engaging in this emerging market is a challenge to manufacturers that require in-depth market research to design, develop, and deliver products and business models suited to local market needs.
A key barrier to lighting manufacturers, assemblers, and distributors in reaching these off-grid
populations has been a lack of information on which to base their product and market development decisions. Lighting Africa has addressed this information deficit through conducting extensive consumer studies in a selection of test markets: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The studies included a selection of both consumer households and traders who use lighting products in their business. The insights in this report are based on approximately 10,000 interviews with potential off-grid consumers from four phases of market study in each country:
1. Qualitative Study to understand opportunities and to test modern lighting products
2. Quantitative Usage & Attitudes Study amongst two potential market groups, consumer
households and traders
3. Quantitative test of target group responses to selected lighting product concepts
4. Qualitative product home trial study to understand target group interest in specific types of
off-grid modern lighting products
IFC and World Bank. 2011. The Off-Grid Lighting Market in Sub-Saharan Africa: Market Research Synthesis Report. Washington, DC: Lighting Africa, World Bank. http://www.esmap.org/sites/default/files/esmap-files/Synthesis_report_FINAL_reduced_20110224.pdf
