Single Point of Integration
In Nigeria, the payment landscape for off-grid energy traditionally relies on cash transactions. Furthermore, payment service providers, banks, and financial institutions operate physical agent networks to facilitate these transactions. However, this approach presents several limitations, including higher costs, management complexities, increased fraud risks, and inconveniences for both consumers and energy providers.
Unlike some East African countries, Nigeria has faced challenges in the past adopting mobile money services due to strict regulations governing payment service providers. These regulations hinder the growth of mobile money and its integration into the off-grid energy sector. However, recent developments indicate a positive shift in the market with the increasing adoption of pay-as-you-go (PAYG) platforms.
NOMAP undertook a pilot to assess the feasibility of using an agent banking network, in the absence of mobile money, to collect Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) subscriptions from unbanked Solar Home System customers.
The core objective of the pilot was to ease the challenges associated with payment collection from unbanked SHS customers by financing the integration of SHS companies into SWIFTA’s agent networks. SWIFTA is a payment aggregator that provides agent banking services via its proprietary platform OMNIBRANCHES. To accomplish this, NOMAP identified six SHS companies that were interested in the pilot — (Sosai Energies, Asolar, Smarter Grid International, Oolu Solar, Azuri and A4&T)
NOMAP offered to finance Application Programming Interface (API) integration into SWIFTA’s agent network. In return, the companies would provide data on the effectiveness of agents on PAYGO collection and last-mile expansion.
Our Reports
Our programs are rooted in extensive research on the market challenges within Nigeria’s renewable energy sector.
