#MEET Affordable and Clean Energy in Africa
This is a short interview we conducted with Valens HABINEZA, the creator of Affordable and Clean Energy in Africa. If you like this project and would like to vote for it, click here
1. Please, tell us a bit about yourself: where are you from and what is your background?
Valens HABINEZA is an entrepreneur of passion since 2010; born in a remote area of Rwanda in 1985, where I got an idea of using clean energy because they use only firewood for cooking and gasoline for lighting. I got a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2012 and now I dealing with an MBA in the option of Project Management.
2. Can you describe your idea or project in two sentences?
Affordable and Clean Energy in Africa consists in providing new technologies for cooking and lighting as a solution to different problems of high cost of fuel used in these activities. It will help also in increasing welfare of households in Africa mainly by saving some amount of money used to buy firewood and charcoal and preventing some respiratory diseases.
3. How did you get your idea or concept?
As I mentioned above that I grow in a remote area where there is no electricity, I got this idea from there where I tried to help my parents and some neighbors to have biogas for cooking and solar energy for lighting.
4. What is unique about your idea/project and how does it benefit mankind?
This project provides energy for cooking and lighting which save the money used to buy firewood and gasoline; this energy can also be converted into other forms of energy like electricity and heat. This project also provides jobs to different people and increases the complementary between husband and wife.
5. Describe yourself as an entrepreneur in one sentence
I have six years of experience in the energy domain as an entrepreneur, I executed different project about renewable energies such as biogas and solar energies.
6. How do you deal with people that doubt your abilities/initiatives?
People that doubt my abilities/initiatives are called for verification of installed biogas plants and solar home systems.
7. Where does your passion lie?
My passion lies in a work well done and completed within a given time. In addition, I like sport
8. What are you afraid of or what keeps you up at night?
I am always thinking about my work for tomorrow.
9. According to you, money is a synonym for.....
Work
10. If you could rid the world of three things, what would they be?
Work, Quality, and speed
11. What are the benefits you take from the Entrepreneurship Campus?
I have got new important connections with other members, I have got new comments which helped to improve my project.
12. What do you like more about the Entrepreneurship Campus?
New connections with other members
13. Which idea/project do you like most?
O-YES International Conference
NOTICE: If you want to see more submitted ideas and projects at the Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition, visit BEST IDEAS and BEST PROJECTS and VOTE for the ones you think deserve to WIN the Competition!
Photo via: pixabay.com
