KENYA – Bboxx, a platform providing access to essential products and services, and Unilever, one of the largest consumer goods companies, have partnered through Sunlight, a leading detergent brand, to accelerate the provision of clean energy access for households across Kenya.
Despite significant efforts, nearly 40% of the rural population in Kenya doesn’t have access to electricity. Access to clean energy (SDG 7) is a core sustainable development goal, proven to have strong social and economic benefits. Bboxx and Sunlight will be deploying their strengths and resources to tackle this issue head-on.
“At Bboxx, we understand the importance of partnering with industry leaders to achieve the best positive outcomes for our customers,” Manssor Hamayun, CEO and co-founder of Bboxx, said.
“We are therefore delighted to be partnering with one of the leading FMCG players, enabling us to deliver clean energy access to millions of households across Kenya.
“Not only is this a step towards the UN’s SDG 7, clean energy for all, but it is also a marker of our expansion into other sectors, allowing us to have a more positive and widespread impact on the lives of the local communities we are present in.”
Through joining forces, Bboxx and Sunlight will connect an additional one million people in Kenya, providing access to essential clean energy products and services over the next three years.
“In line with Unilever’s purpose, to make sustainable living commonplace, our Sunlight brand is on a proud mission in partnership with Bboxx to not only help the community access clean power through our vast distribution networks but also that they experience the value of its many products under the Sunlight Masterbrand,” Unilever Home Care director, Henry Muchauraya, commented.
“In line with Sunlight’s Women of More programme, we are also looking to uplift thousands of female entrepreneurs across the country, through training and access to extra sources of income.”
The partnership will drive combined marketing campaigns and mobilise agents with resources and training to promote clean energy solutions.
It will also serve as a new source of income for Unilever’s retailer network, comprising of more than 60% female entrepreneurs.
In addition, a cross-promotional agreement between Bboxx and the Sunlight mega-brand will reward customers with free Sunlight products when they make payments towards their solar home systems.
The partnership marks the first of many between Bboxx and Sunlight, spanning Bboxx’s wide range of products and services, starting in Kenya before geographically expanding throughout the continent to positively transform the lives of 5 million people over the next 10 years across a multitude of markets.
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