BATN Foundation, an independent charitable organisation, and Solar Jooce, a social enterprise recently signed a collaboration agreement to train rural women inOyoState in the assembly and repair of basic solar powered lighting and phone charging appliances. The signing ceremony was presided over by Mr. Gbenga Ibikunle (Executive Director, BATN Foundation) and Mr. Dave Agbakoba (CEO, Solar Jooce).

The objective of the pilot is to train an initial 20 rural ladies in a trade which they can turn into micro businesses, as well as provide their communities with an alternative to dangerous and expensive fossil fuelled lighting such as kerosene lanterns.

According to Mr. Agbakoba: “Of the world’s 1.6 billion people living without electricity, 80% live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Solar Jooce women’s empowerment initiative is therefore a small step in the daunting task of providing a clean, alternative source of electricity, alleviating poverty, and providing opportunities for rural families in Nigeria”.

The training workshop will span five weeks (June 11 – July 17, 2012), and will cover four Local Government Areas in Oyo state – Itesiwaju, Kajola, Oyo West, and Iseyin – before moving on to other states in Nigeria.

The Bishop of Ajayi Crowther Diocese, Bishop O. O. Oduntan is the co-ordinator of the Oyo state pilot, identifying areas that have little or no electricity and helping in the selection of trainee rural women solar technicians.



About BATN Foundation

The BATN Foundation (BATNF) is an independent charitable organisation incorporated in Nigeria in November 2002 as a Company Limited by Guarantee. Its vision is to improve the quality of life of citizens in rural and urban areas of Nigeria.

In order to achieve its mission, the BATNF focuses on empowerment through sustainable poverty alleviation, agricultural development, potable water, environmental protection, and vocational skills acquisition.

Within seven years of its establishment, the Foundation has made giant strides in its support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), completing 80 projects in 36 states ofNigeria, exclusive of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). By the end of 2011 the number of completed projects had risen to 108.

BATNF was nominated twice for the Africa Investors Award in 2005 and 2006 respectively. It was also nominated for the finals of the Consultative Group on the International Agricultural Research’s Innovation Marketplace competition Civil Society Organisation in December 2006. In 2010 BATN Foundation won the Best Company in CSR award at the 4th Lagos Enterprise Award.

The Foundation is given policy direction and supervision by a board of trustees and a Technical committee. The board is chaired by Dr. Christopher Kolade (CON), notable industrialist, former Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK and also chairman of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program (SURE) of the Federal Government of Nigeria.



About Solar Jooce

Established in February 2008, Solar Jooce is a social enterprise, dedicated to improving the quality of life of rural communities in Nigeria that have little or no access to electricity.

At the heart of Solar Jooce’s work is the “Solar-for-the-Masses” campaign, whose objective is to ensure that rural communities all overNigeria have access to at least one basic form of a solar appliance. DuringNigeria’s 50thIndependence anniversary (October 2010), Solar Jooce was mentioned in CNN’s iReport as a key propagator of solar in rural areas.

During phase 1 of Solar-for-the-Masses, Solar Jooce created massive awareness for the use and benefits of solar applications by donating a combined solar lantern & phone charging unit to one rural community in each ofNigeria’s 36 states. The non-stop road expedition across the entire country was accomplished in 17 days.

Phase 2 of Solar-for-the-Masses is a long-term capacity building scheme that trains rural women in the assembly and troubleshooting of solar applications so that they start their own small solar trade, become economically independent, and also light up and power their communities. The first pilot starts in June 2012, in Oyo state.

All of Solar Jooce’s activities focus on each of the eight United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially eradicating extreme poverty, achieving education, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, empowering women, ensuring environmental sustainability, and partnering with other organisations to ensure development.