WAGA

What WAGA does

WAGA Tanzania is a Dar es Salaam-based renewable energy company that recycles and repurposes discarded lithium-ion batteries into affordable battery power products for off-grid and under-electrified customers in Tanzania. Founded in 2022 by Gibson Kawago, who grew up without electricity in rural Iringa, the company targets two primary customer segments: rural households that lack grid access and rely on kerosene lamps, and small local businesses that need affordable night-time lighting and power for extended operating hours. Geographic footprint is currently single-country (Tanzania), with no disclosed revenue and 1-10 employees.

The product portfolio is anchored by the PAWA Pack family — PAWA Packs for residential power (capable of running TVs, radios, mobile phones, and lights via solar recharging), PAWA Pack mini with integrated lamps for businesses (delivering up to 14 hours of lighting), and customized lithium-ion battery packs built to customer-specified capacity and voltage for wireless speakers (JBL, T8, Harman Kardon), modems, and VFD machines. The underlying technology combines lithium-ion battery recycling and repurposing with custom pack assembly, organized around a four-pillar circular economy framework (Reuse, Recycle, Educate, Cooperate). WAGA holds no disclosed patents, trademarks, or formal certifications.

Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of battery products, supplemented by battery recycling services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be quote-based. Distribution is direct-to-consumer combined with channel partnerships with other solar companies, supported by an organic-only social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. The company has built visibility through partnerships and awards — including the 2023 Africa Prize (Royal Academy of Engineering), 2023 ClimateLaunchpad (Climate-KIC), and support from UNCDF, Funguo, Climate-KIC, Volta Foundation, Light for Life, Anza Entrepreneurs, OpenSky Fellows, and Sagar Energy Solutions — but has no disclosed venture or institutional funding beyond a zero-dollar AcceliCITY award from Leading Cities in July 2024.

Name

WAGA

Legal name

WAGA Tanzania

Website

https://wagatanzania.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WAGA Tanzania, founded in 2022 in Dar es Salaam, recycles lithium-ion batteries into PAWA Pack battery solutions for off-grid rural households and small businesses in Tanzania, offering solar-rechargeable power for lighting, appliances, and customized industrial uses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Off-grid Battery Solutions (Lithium-ion Battery Recycling & Reuse)

NAICS

Battery Manufacturing (33591)

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Battery Second-Life Repurposing & Integration (Stationary Reuse, Repack/Remanufacture) (EUAFACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Battery Dismantling, Discharge & Pre-processing (Safe Handling, Shredding, Black Mass Production) (EUAFACAB), Battery Repair, Refurbishment & Remanufacturing Services (Module/Pack Repair, Rework) (EUAFACAI), Collection, Logistics & Reverse Supply Chain (Transport, Sorting, Tracking) (EUAFACAA)

Keywords

• Lithium-ion battery recycling
• Solar battery packs
• Off-grid energy solutions
• Battery repurposing
• Portable power solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar Es Salaam

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Battery Product Sales: Sale of PAWA Packs (home battery solutions), PAWA Packs mini with lamps (business lighting), and customized lithium-ion battery packs for wireless speakers, modems, and VFD machines.
2. Battery Recycling Services: Recycling and repurposing of lithium-ion batteries, converting discarded batteries into functional power solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WAGA recycles and repurposes discarded lithium-ion batteries to manufacture affordable off-grid power products, primarily PAWA Packs (rechargeable battery systems for home use powering TVs, radios, mobile phones, and lights), PAWA Packs mini with integrated lamps (delivering up to 14 hours of business lighting as a kerosene-lamp replacement), and customized lithium-ion battery packs for wireless speakers, modems, and VFD machines. The company serves rural households and small businesses in Tanzania that lack reliable grid electricity, with products recharged via solar panels.

Product overview

WAGA is a Tanzanian company that operates as a battery recycling and repurposing business, producing lithium-ion battery powered products for underserved communities. The product portfolio centers on the PAWA Packs product line — including PAWA Packs for home power needs and PAWA Packs mini for business lighting applications — alongside customized lithium-ion battery packs built to customer specifications for devices such as wireless speakers, modems, and industrial machines. All products are powered by recycled lithium-ion batteries, with charging supported via solar panels, supporting a circular economy model focused on clean energy access in Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PAWA Packs Rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs capable of powering electrical devices such as TVs, radios, mobile phones, and lights, recharged by solar panels. Designed for residential use to provide electricity to homes in areas without grid access.
• PAWA Packs Mini with Lamps Compact battery pack with integrated lamps designed for local businesses to conduct operations at night for up to 14 hours, serving as a replacement for kerosene lamps.
• Customized Lithium-Ion Battery Packs Customized lithium-ion battery packs manufactured for wireless speakers (JBL, T8, Harman Kardon), modems, and VFD machines at customer-specified capacity and voltage requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 14 hours of lighting for businesses replacing kerosene lamps
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FunguocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation platform supporting WAGA's growth and impact initiatives in Tanzania. Listed as a supporter and partner on WAGA's website.
• UNCDF (United Nations Capital Development Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency providing support for WAGA's development and impact achievements. Listed as a supporter on the partners page.
• Climate-KICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean knowledge and innovation community supporting climate innovation. Hosted ClimateLaunchpad program where WAGA was a finalist.
• Volta FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supporting battery and energy innovation in Africa, contributing to WAGA's success and impact.
• Light for LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting WAGA's mission to provide clean energy solutions.
• Anza EntrepreneursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTanzanian entrepreneurship support organization listed as a supporter of WAGA.
• OpenSky FellowsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellowship program supporting WAGA's founder Gibson Kawago.
• Royal Academy of Engineering (Africa Prize)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected Gibson Kawago as Africa Prize finalist in 2023, recognizing WAGA's innovative battery recycling solution.
• Sagar Energy SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy solutions company collaborating with WAGA, listed as a partner/supporter.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zola Electric: Zola Electric (formerly Off Grid Electric) operates PAYG solar home systems with a strong Tanzanian and East African footprint, directly competing with WAGA's home-power and small-business lighting offerings in the same geographic market.
• Greenlight Planet (Sun King): Greenlight Planet (Sun King) sells solar lanterns, home solar systems, and clean-cooking products across Africa and Asia. It competes head-to-head with PAWA Packs on affordable solar-powered lighting and phone-charging for off-grid households.
• d.light: d.light designs and distributes affordable solar lanterns, home solar systems, and PAYG energy products across East Africa, including Tanzania. It is the most direct competitor to WAGA's PAWA Pack home and business-lighting use cases among rural and off-grid households.
• Mobisol (Engie Energy Access): Mobisol (now part of Engie Energy Access) delivers large-format solar home systems in Tanzania and East Africa. It competes for the higher-tier rural household and SMB solar-customer that overlaps with PAWA Pack buyers, though with larger upfront hardware.
• M-KOPA: M-KOPA is a leading PAYG solar home system provider in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) financing solar lighting, TVs, and phones. It directly competes with WAGA for the same low-income rural and peri-urban customer base with a more capital-rich, credit-enabled model.
• BBOXX: BBOXX provides solar home systems and PAYG energy access across multiple African markets, including East Africa. It overlaps with WAGA on off-grid solar-bundled energy products for households and small businesses.

Regional players

• African Clean Energy (ACE): ACE produces clean cookstoves and solar products for off-grid African households. It targets overlapping energy-access and indoor-air-quality pain points in sub-Saharan Africa, making it an adjacent competitor for the same rural customer wallet.
• Sagar Energy Solutions: Sagar Energy Solutions is a Tanzania-based energy solutions company listed as an active WAGA partner/supporter. It operates in overlapping energy-access and battery-related activities in the same Tanzanian market, making it a regional peer and potential collaborator.

Emerging players

• Li-Cycle: Li-Cycle is a global lithium-ion battery recycling company producing black mass and battery-grade materials. It shares WAGA's foundational technology premise of monetizing end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, though at industrial scale rather than distributed local repurposing.
• Redwood Materials: Redwood Materials is a leading lithium-ion battery recycling and cathode materials company. While operating in North America/Europe and at far larger scale, it is comparable on the core technology of repurposing and recycling lithium-ion batteries into new battery products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wagatanzania
• Facebookfacebook.com/wagatanzania
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waga
• Instagraminstagram.com/wagatanzania

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 WAGA