SCF Nigeria represents the first full blown demonstration of SCC’s Sustainable Communities Framework (SCF) program. 

With nearly 230 million residents, Nigeria is the 6th most populated country in the world. It is divided into 36 states and SCC is launching the SCF program in Enugu, one of the smallest states in the country. Nonetheless, it has nearly 6 million people, more than half of which live in 580+ villages. Once launched, we anticipate that the other 35 states will want to rapidly follow.

The home page of SCF Nigeria conceptually describes the kind of problems that can be addressed by the SCF program, in support of a wide variety of regional economic, environmental and social development goals. In particular, this page What Can Be Done With the SCF? lists specific programs that will be tackled in Nigeria, which we plan to do in a serial rollout fashion. The majority of those programs rely on our issuing our own money (called a “complementary currency“) as we describe on our homepage.

We recognize that the concept of pursuing economic development based on the issuance of our own money is a new concept to most people. And thus we decided to begin operations in Nigeria by leveraging an economic development program we are already in the process of launching in the United States called the Wisconsin Battery Company (WinBat). There we have arranged to build two new battery factories at the rate of $20 million each and will not only be manufacturing many common batteries, but are in the process of developing two new environmentally friendly battery technologies in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We are bringing those technologies and more to Nigeria.

NrG Company Nigeria

Nigeria currently does not have any battery factories and thus this represents a significant development for the country, especially as for grid backup for the rapid growth of solar and wind farms. SCC has established a new for-profit subsidiary called NrG Company Nigeria Ltd. (pronounced “energy”). NrG Co. will partner with Nigerian based Okafor Motors (Facebook) in Nigeria to produce batteries and more. as described in this Guardian article, this Vanguard article, and in this Nation article (and others below¹). Ultimately NrG Co. will produce a wide variety of batteries for local consumption, especially our more environmentally friendly zinc/air batteries and our hemp carbon batteries.

However, the first battery we will produce will be designed to go with a Nigerian homegrown product developed by Okafor Motors – a solar/plugin electric three wheel and four wheel transportation vehicle that much of the world calls a “tuk-tuk” or “auto rickshaw“. In Nigeria, such vehicles go by the label “keke” (pronounced like kay-kay). We will trademark this vehicle line as NiKeKe for Nigerian kekes.

After we produce batteries for the NiKeKes, we will develop and market other types of batteries, as circumstances and demand dictate.

In the meantime, there are two other business divisions that will be established under NrG Company Nigeria Ltd a) all manner of battery recycling and b) various forms of plastics recycling. This website, https://nrgco.net will be dedicated to NrG Company Nigeria Ltd and its product divisions.

¹ ESI Africa https://www.esi-africa.com/news/nigeria-partnership-to-build-tricycles-powered-by-solar-energy-and-green-batteries and Legit NG https://www.legit.ng/business-economy/industry/1579383-nigerian-company-build-solar-powered-tricycles-ready-compete-innoson-others/

Next Steps

SCC is in the process of establishing a new non-profit corporation in Nigeria to help coordinate all its activities in Nigeria. Once that non-profit is established, SCC and this new non-profit organization will begin to launch other programs in Nigeria, beginning with those listed here.

How You Can Help

Please note that to date SCC has developed everything with its own resources, but with the impending Nigeria NrG Company launch and the new non-profit organization and its programs, additional resources are needed from outside that can greatly aid in the deployment of these programs throughout Enugu and the rest of Nigeria and beyond. Interested parties can donate to this effort below. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated