The Kenyan flower farm Simbi Roses attributes its success to the hard work and support of its workers, but the company’s focus goes beyond economic growth. A deep sense of social responsibility is central to business at Simbi Roses, demonstrated by their motto, “Our farm. Our community.” What does this look like? Worker-led committees promote continuous improvements in education, housing, health, human rights and general well-being in the communities local to the farm. These democratically-formed committees include Gender, Health and Safety, Fairtrade and Well-Being. The central goal is to improve living standards both inside and outside of the premises; who…
ecoligo wins the German Entrepreneurship for Development Prize
Berlin and Accra, 13th February 2019: German solar company ecoligo has been awarded the German Entrepreneurship for Development Prize for 2019 in the category of “Innovation for Development” for its commitment to promoting sustainable growth in emerging markets. The prize was awarded on Tuesday at the German-African Business Summit held in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, where ecoligo’s West Africa office is based. The Berliner start-up was awarded 25,000 EUR to support its business activities in emerging markets. ecoligo provides a fully financed solar-as-a-service solution for businesses in emerging markets, removing the technical and financial barriers that prevent them from accessing…
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Interview with Dr. Elikem Tamaklo, Managing Director of Nyaho Medical Centre
We caught up with Dr. Elikem Tamaklo, Managing Director of Nyaho Medical Centre in Ghana, to find out more about the hospital and the new solar system that will power it. A 195 kWp solar project for the medical centre is currently being financed on the ecoligo.investments crowdinvesting platform. Can you tell us a little about the history of Nyaho? What about Nyaho makes you proud? What problems does the hospital currently face with energy? How does powering Nyaho with solar energy relate to the centre’s core values? More details of the project can be found on the project page.
ecoligo celebrates key milestone as one million Euro raised by crowdinvestors to fund solar projects
Berlin and Frankfurt am Main, 22nd October 2018: Over 1 million Euro has been raised by crowdinvestors to finance solar projects in emerging markets on the ecoligo.investments platform. The milestone demonstrates the potential of individual investors to bridge a well-known finance gap for commercial and industrial (C&I) sector solar projects, consequently transforming a sector where traditional financing methods have failed. This opportunity is an integral part of ecoligo’s fully financed solar-as-a-service business model. The seven-digit-figure has been reached by 327 private investors. In total, 12 projects have been financed on the ecoligo.investments platform, which will save over 19,000 tonnes of…
ecoligo.investments increases access to sustainable investing with new 100€ investment amounts!
Crowdinvestors will now be able to invest in solar energy projects in emerging markets from just 100€ on the platform ecoligo.investments. The platform has lowered the minimum investment amount from 500€ to 100€ in a move to enable more people to participate in sustainable investments and accelerate the global energy transition. The change will be in effect from Thursday, the 6th of September, when the next project is scheduled to be launched. Private investors receive returns of 5% or more when they invest in projects on the platform, which provide solar energy to businesses in countries like Ghana, Kenya, Chile…
The air miles debate: are Kenyan flowers actually more sustainable?
Kenya is the biggest exporter of roses to Europe, transporting almost 160,000 tonnes of cut flowers in 2017. The country’s climate is perfect for growing flowers, its proximity to the equator providing daily sunshine and mild temperatures year-round. But an increasing awareness of the virtues of buying locally is sparking a debate around importing such goods: isn’t it better to grow them at home? Intuitively, this might make sense, but a dive into the figures shows what’s really more sustainable when it comes to flower farming. Kenyan roses are by far the greener option Food, flowers and other agricultural products…
Questions from the Crowd: Working conditions and employee rights at Rift Valley Roses
In our Questions from the Crowd series, we address questions from crowdinvestors about our projects and business model in open blog articles. Got a question? Write to us here. The following question is regarding the 75 kWp solar system project for Rift Valley Roses flower farm in Kenya, which is currently being financed on the crowdinvesting platform www.ecoligo.investments. Question from a crowdinvestor (Paraphrased) The flower farm industry in Kenya is known for poor working conditions. What makes Rift Valley Roses different? Rift Valley Roses’ response: We value our employees very highly and work hard to ensure that they have rewarding, safe…
ecoligo and SMA Sunbelt partner to provide high-quality components for ecoligo’s solar installations in Ghana
Accra, Berlin and Niestetal, 10 July 2018: ecoligo GmbH and SMA Sunbelt Energy GmbH have formed a new partnership in Ghana to develop solar projects using SMA inverters and other high-quality equipment procured by SMA Sunbelt. The cooperation, which brings the German manufacturer’s trusted technology together with ecoligo’s solar-as-a-service solution, will ensure the durability and reliability of ecoligo’s solar projects. The move is also a signal of quality to the crowdinvestors who finance ecoligo’s projects on the platform ecoligo.investments. The first project to be included in the partnership is a set of solar power systems for Stanbic Bank’s Dansoman, Kasoa…
Questions from the Crowd: Does Rift Valley Roses impact water levels at Lake Naivasha?
In our Questions from the Crowd series, we address questions from crowdinvestors about our projects and business model in open blog articles. Got a question? Write to us here. Question from a crowdinvestor (Paraphrased) Flower farming around Lake Naivasha has been said to have a negative impact on the lake’s water levels and ecosystem. Can you tell me what Rift Valley Roses is doing to combat this? Rift Valley Roses’ response: Rift Valley Roses is situated around 10km from Lake Naivasha and 400 meters higher, on the shoulder of the Aberdare mountain range. Consequently, the farm does not use any…