What WeLight does

WeLight is a privately held pan-African distributed renewable energy company founded in 2018 and headquartered operationally in Bamako, Mali, with its primary legal entity registered as WELIGHT SA in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The company builds, owns, and operates solar mini-grid infrastructure in rural, off-grid villages across Madagascar, Mali, and (planned) Nigeria, with a stated pipeline covering the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its core product is a turnkey mini-grid combining photovoltaic generation, battery storage, and low-voltage distribution across ~2.5 km of lines, typically serving 300–400 households and businesses per village at adaptive capacities between 100W and 16kW. Each site operates under a 20-year license and is paired with smart prepaid meters recharged via mobile money, allowing pay-as-you-go access without bank accounts or upfront connection fees. As of 2024 the company operated approximately 186 villages with 60,000+ connections, 99%+ site availability, and 4,600 MWh of energy produced annually, ranking it as Africa's largest solar mini-grid operator.

WeLight generates revenue primarily through prepaid electricity sales to households, SMEs, and community buildings via mobile money, supplemented by sales of productive-use appliances (irons, freezers, refrigerators) and B2B energy supply to off-grid telecom towers under offtake agreements. Customer acquisition is conducted directly through a network of village-based sales agents supported by mobile digital tools, with demand stimulated through appliance sales events and entrepreneurial contests that drive productive electricity usage. Complementary offerings include MetroGrids for larger-scale deployments and an Android application for appliance management. The legal entity (WELIGHT SA, 10 million Ariary capital) and operating geographies span Madagascar, Mali, and Nigeria, with headquarters offices in Antananarivo and Bamako and an operations office in Abuja.

The company is backed by founding shareholders Axian Group (a diversified pan-African group) and Sagemcom SAS, joined by Norwegian development bank Norfund in 2020. To date it has raised approximately €46 million cumulatively from a mix of European development finance institutions (European Investment Bank, Triodos, EDFI ElectriFI), the IFC, and Malagasy commercial bank BNI Madagascar, with use of proceeds tied to village buildout in Madagascar, market entry into Nigeria and DRC, and government MOUs such as the 2025 agreement with Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency targeting 400 mini-grids plus 50 MetroGrids by 2030. Operational and reputational milestones include becoming the first Malagasy B Corp in 2024 and receiving the inaugural UNIDO ONE World Sustainability Award in November 2025.

Name

WeLight

Legal name

WELIGHT

Website

https://welight-africa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WeLight is Africa's largest solar mini-grid operator, founded in 2018. It builds, owns, and operates licensed solar mini-grids with prepaid smart meters in rural, off-grid villages across Madagascar, Mali, and Nigeria, serving households, SMEs, and community infrastructure under 20-year licenses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Solar Mini-Grid Energy Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Distributed Generation (DG) Solar & Small Wind (EUAMAJAD), Solar Project Development & IPP (Utility-Scale & Rooftop) (EUAMABAA)

Keywords

• Solar mini-grids
• Rural electrification
• Prepaid electricity
• Off-grid solar energy
• Distributed renewable energy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bamako

HQ country

Mali

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Prepaid Electricity Sales (Mini-Grid): WeLight sells prepaid electricity to households, SMEs, and community buildings through solar mini-grids. Customers purchase energy coupons via mobile money prepaid recharge systems. Each site operates under a 20-year license and serves 300-400 households and businesses, delivering approximately 30 MWh annually.
2. Productive Use Equipment Sales: WeLight stimulates demand and generates additional revenue through sales of electric appliances (e.g., irons, freezers, refrigerators, cooking equipment) to customers, promoting productive use of electricity and supporting local economic growth.
3. Telecom Tower Energy Supply: WeLight provides energy to neighboring telecom towers, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly power solution to telecom operators, creating an additional revenue stream from B2B offtake agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WeLight deploys and operates solar mini-grid infrastructure in rural villages across Africa, providing 24/7 prepaid electricity to households, SMEs, schools, health centers, and public infrastructure. Each site serves 300-400 connections across approximately 2.5 km of low-voltage distribution lines under a 20-year exclusive license. Customers access electricity through smart prepaid meters (100W to 16kW) recharged via mobile money, with no upfront connection cost or bank account required. The company also supplies clean energy to telecom towers and stimulates productive use through appliance sales and entrepreneurial programs.

Product overview

WeLight is a pan-African distributed renewable energy company offering a unified platform of solar mini-grid solutions for rural electrification. The core product consists of Solar Mini-Grid Systems combined with Smart Prepaid Meters and scalable Solar Power Plant Infrastructure. Each mini-grid operates under a 20-year license per village, serving 300-400 households and businesses with 24/7 electricity. The company complements its hardware with a Mobile Application for appliance services and offers MetroGrids as a larger-scale variant for expanded deployments. All solutions integrate mobile payment systems for prepaid energy recharging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar Mini-Grid Systems Solar mini-grid systems that provide 24/7 productive electricity to rural villages. Each site serves 300-400 households and businesses, delivering 30 MWh annually across approximately 2.5 km of low-voltage distribution lines, with adaptive solutions up to 16 kW. Each site operates under a 20-year license.
• Smart Prepaid Meters Ready-to-use smart meters ranging from 100W to 16kW that subscribers recharge via automated mobile payments. Enables flexible prepaid energy coupon selection for rural households and businesses without requiring bank accounts.
• Solar Power Plant Infrastructure Scalable solar power plants with extensible central production capability that can accommodate growing energy demand in villages across mini-grid sites.
• MetroGrids Larger-scale grid solutions offered alongside standard mini-grids, designed for expanded deployments in more densely populated or higher-demand areas. 50 MetroGrids are planned for Nigeria deployment under the REA partnership.
• Productive-Use Appliance Sales Sales of electric appliances (irons, freezers, refrigerators, cooking equipment) to customers in electrified villages to promote productive use of electricity and support local economic growth.
• Telecom Tower Energy Supply Energy supply to neighboring telecom towers offering telecom operators a cost-effective and environmentally friendly power solution, creating an additional B2B offtake revenue stream.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250,000 people to gain access to clean, affordable energy through 120-village project in Madagascar
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 November 2025UNIDO awarded WeLight the inaugural ONE World Sustainability Award in Riyadh in November 2025, recognizing the company's pioneering role in sustainable rural electrification across Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Rural Electrification Agency (REA) of NigeriaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2025WeLight signed an MOU with Nigeria's REA to deploy and operate 400 mini-grids plus 50 MetroGrids by 2030, significantly strengthening Nigeria's renewable energy landscape. This is a landmark agreement for WeLight's entry into Africa's largest market.
• Sagemcom SAScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founding shareholder and co-creator of WeLight in 2018. Sagemcom contributed expertise in mini-grid systems and network equipment for Sub-Saharan Africa, providing the technical foundation for WeLight's technology platform.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ENGIE Energy Access:

Emerging players

• M-KOPA: Kenya-based pay-as-you-go solar home system provider serving off-grid households across East and West Africa. Competes for the same rural customer wallet via a different delivery model (SHS vs mini-grid).
• d.light: Pay-as-you-go solar provider serving off-grid households across Africa and Asia. Adjacent competitor with overlapping customer base but different product delivery model.
• BBOXX: UK-headquartered solar energy solutions provider with significant African operations offering solar home systems and mini-grids. Competitor for rural off-grid customers and DFI funding.
• Sun King (Greenlight Planet): Pay-as-you-go solar home system distributor operating across Africa and Asia. Adjacent competitor addressing the same off-grid household segment with a different product model.

Direct peers

• Equatorial Power: Uganda-based mini-grid developer operating solar hybrid mini-grids in rural East Africa. Closely comparable business model and target customer (off-grid villages, SMEs, health/education).
• Husk Power Systems: Africa- and Asia-focused solar mini-grid operator serving rural communities with pay-as-you-go electricity. Closest direct competitor to WeLight, with overlapping customer base, business model, and DFI-backed funding profile.
• Zola Electric: Tanzania-headquartered solar mini-grid and solar home system provider serving off-grid African households. Operates a comparable distributed solar + smart metering model in overlapping geographies.
• PowerGen Renewable Energy: East African mini-grid developer and operator (now part of ENGIE) building solar mini-grids in Tanzania and Kenya. Direct peer in mini-grid site development, operations, and rural electrification licensing.

Regional players

• Renewvia Energy: Solar mini-grid developer operating in Nigeria with a comparable village-mini-grid + prepaid model. Direct competitive overlap for WeLight's planned Nigeria footprint expansion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC63IcbEJtzTO4qk4ZrcxEwQ
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/WeLightAfrica
• LinkedInmg.linkedin.com/company/welightafrica

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WeLight