Polesaver Celebrates One Million Sleeves Sold Across Africa

Polesaver, a global leader in wood life extension products, is proud to announce the delivery of its millionth Rot-Guard™ sleeve into Africa – marking a major milestone in the company’s mission to improve the reliability, longevity, and cost-efficiency of wooden utility poles across the continent.

For over 30 years, Polesaver has provided its innovative dual-layer ground-line barrier sleeves to utilities and rural electrification projects worldwide. Across Africa, these sleeves are helping utilities overcome the challenges of fungal decay, termite damage, and harsh soil conditions, which traditionally cause premature pole failures and high pole replacement costs.

Trusted Across the Continent

From Cameroon to Uganda, and beyond, Polesaver Rot-Guard™ sleeves are helping power providers maximise the lifespan of their infrastructure in remote and often extreme environments.

• In Cameroon, a long-standing partnership with ENEO has seen over 300,000 sleeves installed since 2016. These installations have played a vital role in improving grid reliability and cutting inspection and replacement costs – savings estimated to exceed $11 million to date.

• In Uganda, a major rollout by utility company Umeme saw over 400,000 poles protected with Rot-Guard™ sleeves as part of a nationwide grid expansion. Following implementation, Umeme reported significantly extended pole life and a dramatic drop in failure rates, with substantial long-term savings.

• In rural and remote regions, utility companies and rural electrification programs have integrated Polesaver Rot-Guards™ into national distribution projects to maximise pole lifespan, especially in off-grid and hard-to-access areas where replacement logistics are difficult and costly.

An African Success Story

The use of wooden poles remains vital in electrification efforts across Africa due to their availability and ease of deployment. However, their durability is often compromised by biological threats and environmental stress. Polesaver’s Rot-Guard™ sleeves provide a simple, cost-effective solution to these challenges – enabling utilities to maintain wooden pole infrastructure with confidence.

“Reaching one million poles protected across Africa is a proud moment for our company,” said Richard George, CEO of Polesaver. “It reflects the growing trust in our products and the measurable benefits they bring – longer-lasting poles, fewer outages, and substantial cost savings. We’re delighted to be able to support utilities and electrification programs across Africa with simple and affordable solutions as they expand and modernise their grids.”

As many African nations work toward ambitious rural electrification goals, the role of durable, low-maintenance infrastructure is more critical than ever. By preventing ground-line decay – the number one cause of wooden pole failure – Polesaver Rot-Guard™ sleeves extend asset service life by decades, reducing downtime and keeping communities connected.