Kofa’s journey to transforming Africa’s energy landscape
on Medium. Kofa, a Ghanaian company – funded by Shell Foundation and the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is changing the way people access energy across sub-Saharan Africa.
The need for reliable energy is paramount globally, and particularly in Africa’s landscape of progress and challenges. Backup generators currently provide 9% of electricity in sub-Saharan Africa and as well as this, 40-60 BILLION litres of petrol are consumed annually by motorcycles.
Battery swapping network
Kofa intends to change this. Starting in Ghana, it plans to transition productivity from petrol dependency to a cleaner, more sustainable energy network across Africa. And it’s already started. Since commencing operations in 2022 and introducing its first battery network in 2023, Kofa have been on a transformative journey. With its aim to provide clean, accessible energy in urban spaces and through its intelligent battery swapping network it is ensuring that its customers have energy whenever and wherever they need it.
By using Kofa’s “Kore 2 Swap and Go Battery Network”, in just one year, Kofa has displaced 25,000 litres of petrol, powered 45,000 business hours and cut CO2 emissions by 38 tonnes in Accra, Ghana.
How KofaGo is Transforming Business in Accra, Ghana
One business park in Ghana – DVLA – discovered KofaGo, an initiative of Kofa, when it was cut off from the electricity grid last year. One of DVLA’s users – Ama – initially managed by sharing a petrol generator with a neighbour, a common solution among businesses at the park. But this was a costly option for sustaining their operations and the relentless noise pollution was disrupting Ama’s work and deterring clients.
A neighbouring business had transitioned to KofaGo and after enquiring – and noticing the stark contrast in noise levels – Ama decided to make the switch.
Affordable and customer-driven electricity network
KofaGo allows customers to receive fully charged portable batteries from Kofa swap stations for their needs. When depleted, customers can swap the depleted battery for a fully charged one. Customers receive a battery and an inverter and pay per swap made, creating an affordable and customer-driven electricity network.
Adopting KofaGo transformed Ama’s business operations. The cost for powering her agency made around 52% in cost savings compared to the high and fluctuating expenses of generator fuel and rental fees and the elimination of noise pollution created a more pleasant and professional environment, significantly improving the customer experience and her own work.
Learn more about Kofa’s work: