COUNTRY FOCUS: KENYA
M-KOPA Solar Home System
“With the use of
the sun, mobile
phones, and
Microsoft Azure,
M-KOPA Solar is
improving the lives
of people in Africa
while connecting
them to the world.”
cumulatively saved by our customers
since inception. Additionally, we
estimate that our customers collectively
enjoyed 62.5 million hours of kerosene-
free lighting with M-KOPA in November
2017 alone.”
www.intelligentcio.com
“M-KOPA is further using Azure services
like Service Fabric, Data Lake, and Event
Hub in new ways. We are leveraging
many capabilities of Microsoft Azure
such as App services, Azure functions,
Azure SQL Database and CosmosDB.
We also enjoy extensive support services
for these solutions. These range from
training and assistance with adoption,
to design workshops and technical
support escalations.”
In 2013, Microsoft launched its 4Afrika
initiative, a programme designed to
leverage Africa’s potential to create
technology for the world. The initiative
invests in three critical areas of
development: world-class skills, access
and innovation. Frank McCosker, General
Manager, Affordable Access and Smart
Financing, Microsoft Corporation,
explains why M-KOPA Solar is a stellar
example of what the programme stands
for, “M-KOPA Solar is a real example of
smart innovation for social good. They
combine last-mile access technology
with off-grid renewable energy and an
alternative payment mechanism. These
are all things Microsoft 4Afrika looks for
when investing in local solutions – and
M-KOPA have it all in one.” n
“M-KOPA needed
a hosting solution
that would allow
us to scale up and
down quickly as
we build out new
technologies and
expand to new
markets.”
INTELLIGENTCIO
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