Energy needs
distribution

The idea behind EcoPole came to life as founder Einar Haveland worked at the refugee camp Dadaab in Kenya. As an engineer, he saw the challenges connected with poles for distribution grids. First of all the large amount of wood taken from Africa’s valuable forests to produce the wooden poles. He also saw the problems caused by deterioration of the poles by the African nature; sun, salt, woodpeckers, termites and rodents. This is a bad cycle. The need for energy is undisputed, but the consequences of wrong products cause damage to the environment.

The idea this inspired was the vision of a pole that did not cause deforestation and that was durable enough to overcome the challenges of nature. In 2011 he founded EcoPole and started the development process with support from Innovation Norway and Norad.

The EcoPole group has local representatives, partners and investors both in East and West Africa, the first production plant in Kenya and head quarter in Bergen, Norway.

Management Team

Einar Haveland

CEO

Einar has 15 years experience as founder end CEO from the energy- and composite pole sector in Africa. He has a broad international network, and founded Ecopole in 2011.

Ketil Østrem

VP Sales

Ketil has 35 years executive sales experience, of which 15 years are from the energy sector in Africa as sales director for Jacobsen Elektro. He was born in Norway and raised in Tanzania and Kenya, and speaks both Swahili and English.

Joe Ndiaye

VP West Africa

Joe has 35 years experience from African export industries, and 5 years from the energy- and composite pole sector in Africa. He was born in Senegal and lives in Norway.

Subhash Sonigra

CEO East Africa

Subhash has 10 years experience from Ecopole as factory manager in Kenya.

Hans Petter Torsvik

Chairman of the Board

Has Petter has 25 years experience as CEO and co-founder of several companies. He has international experience from the shipping and offshore industry.

workers in factory

Norwegian engineering
Local production

Transfer of technology

EcoPole is developed, designed and engineered in Norway, and manufactured in Africa. This results in a transfer of know- how, local production and administrative jobs connected to the EcoPole projects in Africa. This reduces both logistics and carbon footprint.

Local partnerships

Most of the materials that go into the production of EcoPole are manufactured in Africa. EcoPole cooperate with local companies that meet our requirements both in know-how, quality, and ethical standards.

Growing local economies

For all major projects, EcoPole sets up a plant locally. This is a sustainable solution, with short-travelled materials and reduced need for transportation. In addition, local jobs are created at the plants, both for trained and unskilled labour.

When EcoPole sets up a manufacturing plant, this also leads to new jobs for local bamboo farmers, supplying dried bamboo as raw material for the production. Choosing EcoPole helps growing the local economies.

Factory in africa

Contact

Norway

Einar Haveland
haveland@ecopole.no

Norway: +47 481 62 626
Kenya: +254 (0) 797 698 644

Ketil Østrem
ketil@ecopole.no

Norway: +47 414 49 208
Kenya: +254 (0) 114 561 161
Tanzania: +255 (0) 764 358 456

East Africa

Subhash Sonigra
subhash@ecopole.no

Kenya: +254 (0) 722 703 128
Kenya: +254 (0) 733 605 694

Ketil Østrem
ketil@ecopole.no

Norway: +47 414 49 208
Kenya: +254 (0) 114 561 161
Tanzania: +255 (0) 764 358 456

West Africa

Joe Ndiaye
joe@ecopole.no

Norway: +47 906 99 006
Senegal: +221 777 929 094

Ketil Østrem
ketil@ecopole.no

Norway: +47 414 49 208
Kenya: +254 (0) 114 561 161
Tanzania: +255 (0) 764 358 456