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Patrick Ngowi

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During his short stint in the mobile phone business while a teenager, Tanzanian entrepreneur, Ngowi realized that many of his customers did not have access to electricity to charge their phones.

After studying renewable and alternative energy in Dezhou University, China, Ngowi returned to Tanzania to begin Helvetic Solar Contractors, a company that has now installed more than 6,000 small rooftop solar systems in his country and four other East African countries – Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

The company which has generated about $8 million dollars in revenue has also worked with several clients including the Tanzanian government and the United Nations, proving water heating systems.

In 2012, Helvetic ranked number one among the Top 100 Mid-Sized Companies that are fast-growing. In early 2013, he was featured by Forbes as one of the 10 Young African Millionaires to watch in 2013.