Across the globe, more than 660 million people still live without electricity — 85% of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Among them once was Washikala Malango, who grew up in Baraka, a lakeside village in eastern Congo where darkness fell early and kerosene lamps dimly lit family dinners.
Haunted by nights spent studying under flickering flames and a childhood fire caused by a candle, Malango and his friend Iongwa Mashangao later turned hardship into innovation. In 2013, the duo co-founded Altech, a startup providing affordable solar kits to off-grid households across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Their mission: to help eradicate energy poverty through clean, renewable power.
Africa, despite its “almost unlimited” solar potential, remains underpowered. According to the International Energy Agency, the continent had just 21.5 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in 2024 — a fraction of what China added in a few months.
Altech’s efforts illuminate a broader challenge: harnessing Africa’s abundant sunlight to light up millions of homes still in the dark.
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