Company
Simusolar supports fishers in securing livelihoods, adapting to weather changes and sustaining fisheries management through IoT-enabled productivity and activity tracking equipment.
Problem
For artisanal fishers, a rise in water temperature in Lake Victoria is leading to a lower catch of a small fish critical to the local economy. Volatile weather and a lack of real-time information also make it difficult for local fishers to plan their fishing and dry the fish for transport, which leads to waste. Overfishing is difficult to regulate due to the resources required to cover the large territory.
Solution
Simusolar seeks to increase rural incomes through productive solutions like fishing lights, water pumps and freezers. The GSMA supported Simusolar in November 2022 to introduce an IoT fishing light that is locatable, trackable, energy efficient with dimming capability and remote controlled via smartphone. This light will be combined with a mobile app to track usage, monitor weather and manage fishing operations. The tracking feature will allow Simusolar to provide the Ministry of Fisheries with anonymised data, supporting their goal of digitising the fishery.
Impact
Since partnering with the GSMA, Simusolar has:
– Increased the total number of fish farmers who have purchased at least one Simusolar IoT light kit from zero to 168.
– Reported that 42 of these fishers were adopting a smartphone for the first time while using the light kit.
– Secured investment from DEG Impulse develoPPP Ventures in December 2022.
A message from the founder(s)
“With GSMA’s support, we will serve a key role in sustaining the fishery of Lake Victoria while also helping fishers to adapt to climate change, reduce carbon emissions, and sustain their livelihoods.”
– Marianne Walpert and Michael Kuntz, Co-founders