He Sold Top-up Vouchers At Age 15, Now The Owner Of A Company That Maintains Solar Systems, Meet Patrick Ngowi, From Tanzania, Founder Of
Helvetic Solar Contractors

Patrick Ngowi Age
Ngowi was born in 1985 in Tanzania.

Patrick Ngowi Business Career

At the age of 15, Patrick Ngowi started his first business at $50 and later received a loan of $1,800 from his parents. while still at high school he started selling top-up vouchers. Mobile phone companies like Vodacom, Tigo, and others had only just established operations in the country and the only place to find recharge vouchers were in the shopping malls and exclusive phone shops.

There were very few distributors or super dealers in Arusha and people had to travel long distances to buy airtime. He saw a niche and raised Tsh 50,000 (about $50) from his mother and bought top-up vouchers from the big dealers. Since he was still in high school and couldn’t devote much time to the business, he mobilized fuel station pump attendants in the local community to sell the vouchers.

He made a small margin on each sale and kept at it for the next two years. Patrick Ngowi developed his company Helvetic Solar Contractors a Tanzanian company that supplies, installs and maintains solar systems throughout the northern circuit of Tanzania. The company sells everything solar from photovoltaic panels and water heaters to battery banks, generators and back-up units.

The beginning of Helvetic Solar Contractors

While on a trip to China Patrick Ngowi got to acquire insightful information about Solar panels and renewable energy. He enrolled in Denzhou University, China to expand his knowledge and insight into renewable energy.

While he was in China he used to export building materials to Tanzania. When he graduated he used the income he had made from his export business to purchase Solar and Thermal equipment, which he shipped back to Tanzania to start a business.

Patrick Ngowi developed his company, Helvetic Solar Contractors a Tanzanian company that supplies, installs and maintains solar systems throughout the northern circuit of Tanzania. The company sells everything solar from photovoltaic (a.k.a. “solar”) panels and water heaters to battery banks, generators and back-up units.

By the time an awareness started about solar energy is a good alternative source of electricity his company was the only solar energy company at the time in Arusha, Tanzania which enjoyed tremendous monopoly.

As solar energy awareness soared in Tanzania around 2007, his business began to grow. Ngowi started supplying more solar panels to small clients.

Over time, government institutions began to signup for his services. By 2011, his company had generated $2.8 million dollars in revenue. In 2012, his company generated $6.8 million dollars in revenue. And by 2013, at the age of 28, his company broke the $10 million dollar mark, by generating $10 million dollars in revenue.

Source: Google

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com