Case Study: How Lumos Upgraded the Life of a Nigerian Family

Lumos is the market leader in Nigeria, Africa’s largest market, where the average amount of electrical outages during a typical month is 32.8. The power outages are not restricted to rural areas; in Lagos (in those parts of the city that are connected to the grid), power outages are both frequent and random, leading most Lagosians (homes and businesses alike) to have a generator. This causes the city to be constantly filled with noise and pollution. 

42% of Lumos’ customers in Nigeria joined Lumos because they were seeking a better alternative to grid electricity or generators. Their major concerns prior to joining Lumos were unreliable power supply, concerns for the pollution the generators contributed to and ease of use. 34% of customers were specifically looking for a constant access or backup energy source for lighting and appliances.

Left in the Darkness

Olumide Adeyoye is a 30 year old banker living in Lagos together with his wife Adesuwa and their six months old son. Three years ago, Olumide and his wife were suffering from frequent power outages. Typically, he would be sitting up working on his laptop at night – when the lights would suddenly go out and he’d be left in complete darkness. 

That was Olumide’s day to day routine, until he walked into an MTN store in order to sort out his phone bill. In the store, he spotted a yellow box on a shelf and got curious. He asked what it was for and was told it’s a solar home system, which could be used to power different electrical appliances. Olumide thought this might be a good way to deal with the frequent power outages he was experiencing, and decided to give the yellow box a try.

Uninterrupted Power

Olumide’s experience with Lumos has been a positive one, based on his feedback. Ever since he got his solar home system, he has experienced no problems whatsoever. These days, he relies on Lumos to charge his phone and laptop, as well as keeping the lights on at nights when he needs to work uninterrupted. 

Olumide might even be sleeping extra tight, as Lumos’ solar home system offers an affordable and easy to use alternative to noisy and expensive diesel and petrol generators. 

Find out more about the social impact Lumos is making across Nigeria in the CDC Group Report: ‘Understanding the impact of solar home systems in Nigeria’.