ZIZ has been leading the energy access revolution in the 5th largest country in Africa, with a 10% electrification rate, and is now expanding in Chad and beyond. EAV is proud to be backing an African team with an outstanding track record of executing in one of the world’s most fragile environments.
Founded in 2006 by Ibrahim Zakaria, a Chadian engineer, ZIZ rapidly emerged into one of the national leaders in electrical equipment distribution, EPC services, and energy services for secondary cities and commercial and industrial (C&I) clients.
Having successfully operated diesel-powered sites in several Chadian towns for the past decade, ZIZ is now developing MW scale ‘metro-grids’ by hybridizing these sites through solar and storage to extend their distribution network and increase population coverage and operating hours.
In addition, ZIZ is expanding its electrification efforts across new cities in Chad, North Cameroon and other Central African countries. The company is leveraging their 13 years of experience and profitability to lead the C&I, grid extension and rural electrification efforts in the region.
We are excited to welcome EAV to Chad. EAV’s investment allows us to execute on our vision of decentralized green energy for Central Africa and our mission to be the main vector in Chad.
We believe that companies like ZIZ are best positioned to champion universal clean energy access efforts in frontier markets. Our investment in ZIZ marks an important step in the acceleration of the energy access revolution across Central Africa’s frontier markets. We are proud to back Ibrahim Zakaria, a Chadian entrepreneur who wields deep knowledge, operational skills and networks. ZIZ team navigates dynamic business contexts and nascent regulatory landscapes to become the clear leader in the region.
Schneider has worked closely over the years with ZIZ, the certified national distributor for Schneider in Chad. The company’s energy as a service model perfectly embodies Schneider’s long-term energy access vision in frontier markets. We are excited to expand our partnership with ZIZ across its various business lines including distribution, C&I, EPC services and in particular, the metrogrid hybridizing project.
About ZIZ
ZIZ was established in 2006 by Chadian engineer, Ibrahim Zakaria, starting off as an electrical EPC company. The company quickly diversified into rural and urban electrification, electrical equipment distribution, EPC and energy services for C&I. The company has 60 employees and has been operating profitably. ZIZ also has a presence in North Cameroon where it provides electrification services.
ZIZ was advised by FieldFisher for English law documents, LPA-CGR Avocats, Kreich Avocats SCP and Venture Law Ltd for French, Chadian and Mauritian law, respectively. For more information, please visit www.ziz-energie.com
About Energy Access Ventures
Energy Access Ventures is an investment firm in Africa. With over 40 years of investment experience in Africa, EAV is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the emerging smart, distributed, cost-effective infrastructure market segment. EAV has carved out a reputation as a hands-on investor that works closely with its portfolio companies to capture the significant opportunity in Africa. EAV’s first fund (“EAV I”) was raised in February 2015 and is €75,000,000 in size with 9 investment professionals. The fund is sponsored by the leading French multinational Schneider Electric and is managed by Aster Capital in Paris. Its investors are CDC Group (UK), managing funds for the UK Department for International Development, the European Investment Bank, the Fonds d’Investissement et de Soutien aux Entreprises en Afrique (FISEA) held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and managed by Proparco, the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM), administered by AFD, Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), the Netherlands Development Finance Company the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and Schneider Electric. For more information, please visit https://eavafrica.com/
About Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a European multinational company providing energy and automation digital solutions for efficiency and sustainability. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation, software and services.
For more information, please visit https://www.se.com