IInventor of Congolese nationality (Congo-Brazzaville), living in France, Edgar Hardy developed a solar lamp which he called Mona, which means “to see” in Lingala. This inventor studied at the Ecole Centrale de Paris and it was in partnership with it that he developed the Mona lamp as an entrepreneur. Indeed, Edgar Hardy is at the head of Solar21, his own company.
As a child, he had to go under the lampposts of the main arteries to read and study because he did not have electricity at home. Even today, a very small percentage of Africans have regular access to electricity. Edgar Hardy, in developing his solar lamp, would like to offer a more suitable alternative solution than the kerosene lamp or the candle to those who are deprived of electricity.