Pan-African solar company BBOXX has officially launched its operations in Togo, where it plans to roll out 300,000 of its solar home systems by 2022.

BBOXX develops solar home systems coupled with its SMART Solar platform, which brings machine-learning and customer experience optimisation to the electrification of rural Africa.

With 450 staff across five offices in China, the United Kingdom (UK) and East Africa, BBOXX has so far deployed 150,000 of its systems, which have affected more than half a million people in 35 countries. Togo is the latest new market for the company, which is already active in Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria and Cameroon.

Following a tender process, BBOXX was awarded a contract to work with the Togolese government to roll out 300,000 of its solar home systems in the country by 2022. The company has already imported its products and will begin selling its systems in people's homes immediately, with an initial target of installing 10,000 in the next 12 months.

The partnership is part of the government's aim to dramatically improve access to electricity for people in Togo, particularly in rural areas. The mission of "CIZO" - which means "lighting up" in Guin - is to bring electricity to more than two million citizens by 2022. It will also provide the adoption of mobile payment solutions across rural areas, helping to improve the financial inclusion of rural communities.

BBOXX will work with La Poste, the largest distribution network in the country, to sell and distribute its solar home systems and other small electrical goods, such as televisions and radios. The company will also be opening shops within La Poste's locations, while its operations in Togo have been in part financed by capital raised via Union Togolaise de Banque, a local bank.

"We have made an excellent start towards our target of deploying 300,000 systems in Togo by 2022. We have proven we can set the right foundations under a very tight time schedule and we are now ready to scale up our operations. We've benefitted enormously from the government's support to create the right framework to operate effectively and help improve the quality of life of rural communities in Togo," said Mansoor Hamayun, CEO of BBOXX.

"Raising capital locally through Union Togolaise de Banque has made financial matters more straightforward for us and will boost our expansion across the country. We aim to create more than 1,000 direct jobs in Togo in the next five years from our activities."

Togo's Minister of Energy and Mines Marc Dèdèriwè Abli-Bidamon said the commercialisation of solar systems through the participation of private actors would accelerate the impact on the Togolese economy.

"Against this backdrop, the government is creating the right environment to foster and enable private actors to operate efficiently," he said.