My WakaWaka experience begun on the evening of Monday, when I received a call from Legacy Brand Experience, a local advertising agency inviting me to a product promotion at Base, in Rulindo, at which a visiting Dutch minister for Development and Trade was expected the following morning.

And as is the norm with most media events in the country, details about this particular event were scanty. What I knew for sure is that something solar-related was being launched on the market, by a company WakaWaka Power.

Upon arrival a sales team immediately went to work, erecting promotional materials and service tents. As the gadgets were unveiled, excited locals could not help but wonder if these were trendy smart phones on sale. It was now time for the sales crew to get down to giving the crowd a detailed, one-on-one product description.

What WakaWaka? It is the registered trademark of a solar powered gadget that gives power and light. The lightweight and compact phone-shaped device charges any type of mobile phone or small electronic device. 

At first look, you will be excused for mistaking it to be a smart phone. You just can’t talk about WakaWaka Power without making mention of its outward beauty - the fact that it’s a cool, trendy and stylish gadget.

The accompanying USB cable has the capacity to charge three gadgets at the same time. It comes fitted with two circular light bulbs positioned strategically like a pair of eyes on a head. At the touch of a button, one can set the lights at very bright, bright, average, and dim.

The back of the phone is the solar panel -black and plain, and it’s this panel that is faced towards the rays of the sun on a flat surface to solar charge it.

However the gadget can still be charged the conventional way, on the EWSA electricity grid, using a micro-USB adaptor. It takes five hours to be fully charged. The unit is compatible to charge a range of gadgets including mobile phones, cameras, smart phones, MP3 players, USB radios, rechargeable batteries, and GPS devices.

It is operated using a simple, scratch card-based payment system. The prepaid power provides light and power only after a code has been purchased and entered into the device - much like a prepaid mobile phone airtime.

The product comes with a two-year warranty and is sold for an initial price of Rwf5,000. Thereafter, one only has to make weekly payments of Rwf 500 using scratch cards until they paid a total balance of Rwf 40,000 after which the device is unlocked for free use.

All one has to do is open the WakaWaka pack, take out the gadget and the accompanying scratch card. Scratch the card gently and load the credit onto your phone the same way you do while loading airtime.

Upon loading the credit, you’ll receive the message, "enter your scratch card code” on your phone screen. The same scratch card code entered in the phone is again entered into the device.

The scratch card comes with pre-paid credit of Rwf500 worth seven days of charging and light. All that one needs to do is charge it in the sun. On a shiny day, you could charge it from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and depending on the intensity of the sun, it will charge up to 70 percent when empty.

According to Raouf Saidi, the Managing Director WakaWaka Rwanda, it is all about using the power of the sun to empower, connect and educate people. It’s a very simple, and yet powerful message,” he contends; adding that "the whole idea is for the device to be accessible to everybody no matter their level of income.”

WakaWaka Rwanda came into existence in January this year, but only launched its operations on November 1st. "We are currently piloting to see the reaction of people in the rural areas, people who are not on the electricity grid, because that is our core clientele,” Raouf further explained.

So far, the company has held road shows at Base, in Rulindo; Rukono, in Gicumbi; Mugina, in Kamonyi; and several other smaller trading centers.

Raouf revealed that within eleven days of launching the road shows, the company had supplied about 500 units to rural buyers. "Apart from the physical product, we also want to convey the positive energy that WakaWaka stands for, and to sensitize people about its many socio-economic benefits.”

Benefits

The first benefit of this gadget is quite obvious, in that by their very nature, light and power significantly improve the quality of human life.

This is especially true in rural areas, where the challenge of lack of electricity means that people have to resort to kerosene lamps for lighting, and diesel generators for charging mobile phones and other devices. Not only are these inefficient and expensive, they also have negative effects on health and environment.

Another positive aspect about the gadget is that it enhances learning and reading at night, especially for students residing in rural areas. The two lights it is fitted with provide light that can be set at one’s ideal brightness depending on the task at hand. Once fully charged, the light can facilitate reading for 20 hours.

Raouf says the company will embark on a nation-wide rollout of the product during the second half of next year; and later spread to other African countries.