Speaking during the launch, World Panel Zambia’s chief executive Jacob Sikazwe said he has worked for many years to empower people in rural Africa to improve their economic well-being and opportunities in life, adding that “this utility-grade personal solar charger finally delivers on my dream to aid and empower people living without regular access to electricity.” In a statement, World Panel Zambia revealed that the first shipment that contains thousands of World Panel 500 combo-pack units with the patented solar panel technology plus a bundled 5000-milliamp Powerbank and bright ten-bulb LED light has already arrived in Zambia. The technology is set for distribution in rural and urban COMESA regions. World Panel Zambia pointed out that it plans to ship one million World Panel units across the COMESA region in 2015. John Anderson, CEO and founder of World Panel Inc., said: “with only 8% of rural Zambia connected to an electrical grid, our distributed green energy solution can significantly increase that level in three years at a fraction of the cost of traditional energy solutions. We are honored to deliver our first containers into Zambia.” Zambia’s Minister of Energy Christopher Yaluma stated that he is pleased that the launch of the technology in Zambia, as “it will help mitigate this power shortage because our people will be able to charge their phones and other devices no matter where they are located.” Already, Zambia Revenue Authority has approved World Panel Zambia’s application for zero customs and VAT.
