Patrick Ngowi Biography
Patrick Ngowi was born in 1985 in Tanzania. He is a Tanzanian Businessperson, Entrepreneur, Environmentalist, Climate Reality Awareness Leader.
Public Speaker, Youth Mentor, Published Columnist and Philanthropist. He is the founder of the Helvetic Group and the Light for Life Foundation.
Patrick Ngowi Age
Ngowi was born in 1985 in Tanzania. He is 34 years old.
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.
Patrick Ngowi Photo
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.
Chairman
In 2015, Patrick Ngowi was elected as Chairman of the United Nations Global Compact in Tanzania. He sits as a board director or member of various global institutions and companies including being a corporate member of Tanzania Private Sector Foundation.
Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC). He represents Youth and Energy on the council chaired by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, the CEO Roundtable of Tanzania (CEO), East Africa Business Council (EABC) and Global Philanthropy Forum (GPF).
In June 2016, Patrick Ngowi was selected and recognized by the United Nations Secretary-General – Ban ki-moon; at the United Nations. General Assembly, as 1 of 10 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) Global Pioneers; inaugural class of 2016. The recognition was for translating UN’s Sustainable Development Goals into Sustainable Local Businesses.
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.
Patrick Ngowi Foundation
Patrick Ngowi is the founder of Light For Life Foundation. Which has provided over 1,000 solar panels to women and young people in off-grid communities in Tanzania? The social enterprise mainly targets rural primary and secondary schools. It also works and mentors low-income youth and women doing businesses in rural parts of Tanzania.
Patrick Ngowi is a Public Speaker
In 2014 he was invited to speak at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meeting held in Washington DC, United States America. On the Youth Dialogue panel on Inclusive Growth and Entrepreneurship through Education, Innovation, and Passion.
He was also invited to speak at the Harvard Africa Business Conference held at Harvard University. And the African Development Bank Annual Meeting in 2014 held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Patrick Ngowi spoke alongside Al Gore (Former US Vice President) at the first-ever Climate Reality Leadership Corps in Africa held in Johannesburg. South Africa after the Helvetic Group partnered with The Climate Reality Project.
In 2015, Patrick Ngowi was invited to speak at the Oxford Africa Conference held at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Patrick has also spoken at the Business School at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In 2013 and to MBA students at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2014.
In 2015 Patrick Ngowi was invited to Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland to participate and speak at the Energy Workshop organized by Ph.D. students.
Patrick Ngowi Honours
- Ngowi’s inspirational story has been featured and profiled on Forbes (The Young African Millionaire Lighting Up Tanzania) and listed under Forbes list of 30 under 30 Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs
- He was listed by Forbes as Young African Millionaires to watch.
- In 2014 he was listed by Forbes among Africa’s Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs. Through Helvetic Group with networth in the millions of dollars.
- Ngowi was named as East Africa’s Young Business Leader of the Year by Forbes and CNBC
- He was listed among Top 100 Most Influential Africans 2013-2014 by New Africa Magazine.
- He was among the Top 100 Young Economic Leaders 2014-2015 listed by the Choiseul Institute of Paris, France.
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