The pair, through their company Sunlux Solar, has been operating as suppliers and installers of solar lighting products for several years, are now transitioning into full-scale manufacturing. On Thursday, they officially broke ground for a P14 million warehouse and manufacturing facility in Tlokweng that is expected to boost local production capacity and create employment opportunities. According to Director of Sunlux, Portia Masunda the factory is set to create about 160 jobs, with 80% of positions going to women and young people, driving real impact in job creation, empowerment, and skills development. She revealed that the decision to venture into manufacturing was inspired by a call made by government in 2023 for local businesses to invest in manufacturing as a means of creating jobs and diversifying the economy. "At that time, we were already supplying councils, estates and retailers with solar lighting products,” Portia Masunda explained to audience during the groundbreaking ceremony.
“We then decided to travel to China, where we source our products, to benchmark and explore whether manufacturing could be done locally. Fortunately, we discovered that it was indeed possible." Following their trip, the couple commenced the process of acquiring the necessary manufacturing equipment, culminating in the plant that was procured and delivered to Botswana after a period of 12 months. During that time, the business continued to operate its core activities, including the installation of solar street lights under various contracts. The two entrepreneurs simultaneously pursued the acquisition of land, driven by a long-term vision of establishing a fully-fledged solar manufacturing facility in Botswana. Portia revealed that the company has already taken preliminary steps into production, with manufacturing activities having already commenced in November last year. "We have already started manufacturing some products, and we are proud to say that some of them have entered the market.
