Using a Power Bank in Nigeria

KoliTech

Posted by Felix Okoli on Thursday August 6, 2015 at 17:7:55:

It may be a bit strange for people in developed countries such as the USA or UK to buy power banks just to keep their mobile phones juiced up at the home or office since they always have 24 hrs access to electricity but it may be considerable if they are told they need to take along a power bank when going to camp at a remote place or hiking. In other countries however such as Nigeria, it's quite normal to have a power bank at home because they Never Expect Power Always.

Many Nigerians now use power banks more than they did a few years ago. Actually, many years before that, there wasn't really any need for power banks unlike the case today. This is because of the growing use of portable electronic gadgets that came without a corresponding growth in electricity supply.

Since the growth in the usage of portable electronic gadgets in Nigeria especially during the 21st century, there has also been an equal growth in the need to recharge the batteries that power them. Mobile phones and electronic gadgets such as tablets and laptops require electrical energy to charge them as they make use of batteries that are rechargeable.

Mobile phones are the most commonly used electronic device in the Nigeria as at today because practically almost everyone has them even some school kids although it's more common in higher institutions. It may only be a matter of time before our primary school children also start using them and that means more money for the network providers. However, one particular problem with the usage of battery powered portable electronic devices in Nigeria is the little or no electricity supply for recharging them. Having a wall charger is not enough, one must also have electricity.

In Nigeria, as at 2015, electricity supply is yet to meed demand as the power company has been only able to match less than 35% of what people need. Nigeria's estimated electricity demand is put at around 12,000 Mega Watts but the supply has been under 5000 Mega watts for 2 years running despite the ambitious plans of the former administration. As a result of this, electricity supply is not done on a full time basis but there is a rationing of electricity. Nigerians who need electricity have learnt that the smarter way to make life easier for themselves is by storing power while they have it so as to use it when it's gone.

For sure, electricity supply will come but there is no certainty pertaining when that will be and that's why people who live in countries such as Nigeria tend to make use of power banks to save electric power.

A power bank is basically an electronic device that has a battery with which is can store electric energy for later use such as when there is no power. A power bank helps keeps the phones an gadgets of many Nigerians always charged up and the more the battery capacity of the power bank, the more power it can store and the more times it can recharge a rechargeable battery.

I have a 10,000mah power bank which I bought online and since my mobile phone's battery just needs about 2,000mah per full charge, It means that this power bank can recharge my phone's battery for up to 5 times ideally. However, before I started using the power bank, I needed to charge it up first and then store it.

There are many power bank products being sold in the Nigerian market and they have mostly being imported into the country from developed nations such as China, USA or UK where they are normally produced in masses at affordable prices such as mobile phones and computers are. It pains me to see that there are no industries in Nigeria where those items are produced but rather it seems that the only thing we produce is crude oil and not even petroleum products. Anyway, when it comes to many electronic products such as power banks and mobile phones, they are mostly imported into Nigeria from abroad.

A power bank can be purchased from a close electronic store in Nigeria or from online shopping websites either locally or abroad. I purchased mine from Amazon but sites like Jumia and Konga also sell them.

I've come to know that there are different types, models and specifications of power banks. While some are made of lower quality materials, others are of higher quality and may cost more. Some can only recharge your electronic device's battery just once while some can recharge it up to 10 times before needing a recharge and I prefer going for the latter. There are also made by different tech companies across the world and so their products or standards may be a bit different.

The price of power banks also vary in the Nigerian market as it depends on a lot of things such as it's capacity which is measured in milliampere hour (mAh). A 1500mAh power bank costs about N1500 in Nigeria as at this date while a 10,000mah power bank costs around N10,000. It's normally good to buy only good quality power banks when you want to buy them so that they don't damage electronic devices such as your phone and at least last longer. Their prices will mostly depend on the exchange rate of the Naira against the US dollar as long as it remains an imported product. The exchange rate as at this date is about N208 for 1 US dollar.

When buying a power bank in Nigeria, it's safer to just buy from a reliable seller rather than on the road side and don't buy a used one because it won't offer the same service as a new one. It needs to be recharged before use the first time and then subsequently when the battery level drops lower. They normally come with a battery light indicator showing the level of charge that the bank has.

Most power banks come with an input and output power port such as a HDMI and micro-HDMI port through which they can be discharged and charged respectively using a cable.

Power banks have a lot of uses and it's not only used for keeping mobile phones juiced up but also for recharging the batteries of your laptop, tablets, torches, lamps and other smaller devices that use batteries. You only need to get the one that comes with the recommended battery charging capacity for recharging them.

Don't use a power bank in your pocket because it gets hot and may actually burn you. It's good to use it and also store it in a cool place. Avoid overcharging it but keep it plugged off when it's fully charged. They also don't work well with water so avoid wetting it except if it's actually designed to be used under water.

They've made the lives of many Nigerians much easier since they no longer have to wait for 24 hrs electricity just to make a phone call or work on their laptops. They can now keep their battery powered devices fully charged up anytime they want just by connecting a power bank to them. It's like a bank. It supplies electrical charges when you need it even after there is power failure.

Where to buy power banks in Nigeria: You can buy it from any electronics market close to you most especially where mobile phones and smaller devices are sold. You can also buy it online from websites like Amazon, Aliexpress, Jumia, Konga or Dealdey.

Comments:

Re: Using a Power Bank in Nigeria Reply by Tijjani on Saturday August 8, 2015 at 10:38:3:

thanks a lot for that information

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