Overview
A field-by-field narration of the FI partnership application form — every section in the order it appears — plus the mechanism it feeds into: this form is what creates the approval record that gates FI everywhere else.
What you will achieve
- Recognize every field on the FI application form and know what to enter.
- Understand that this form is the only path to FI eligibility — there is no other way in.
- Avoid submitting an incomplete application that stalls silently.
Step-by-step
- At the top: the page title "Apply for FI partnership" with a note that it takes about 2–3 minutes, and a "Back" button on the right that returns to the Financing Eligibility page.
- Card 1, "Business identity": Business name, Contact person, Phone (all required), Email (optional), and a Business type radio group — Individual, Registered company, or SACCO / Group (required, one choice).
- Card 2, "Location & operations": a Region dropdown (required) that, once chosen, triggers a live fetch that populates the District dropdown (required) with only that region's districts — you cannot pick a district before picking a region. Below that, an optional set of checkboxes for "Areas of operation" (Central, Eastern, Northern, Western, West Nile, Karamoja, South Western).
- Card 3, "What you sell" (required): checkboxes for Solar panels, Inverters, Batteries, Complete solar systems, and Installation services — pick every category that actually applies, since this is part of what a lender reviews.
- Card 4, "Experience": a required radio choice for "Years in solar" — under 1 year, 1–3 years, 3–5 years, or 5+ years.
- Card 5, "Capabilities": three checkboxes — "Can issue formal quotation", "Can install systems", "Provide after-sales support" — none required, but each one is a signal a lender reads when deciding whether to approve you.
- Card 6, "Select financial institutions" (required): a grid of institution cards, each showing the institution's logo (if any), name, type, and how many active programs it has. Each card has a "Preview programs" button that opens a modal listing that institution's programs (name, term, amount range, interest rate) before you commit, and a checkbox "Include in my application" to actually select it.
- Only institutions with at least one active program are listed at all — if the directory is empty, a warning box replaces the whole section and there is nothing to select.
- The "Submit application" button only appears if the directory is non-empty; submitting sends one application, with your selected institutions attached, into the review queue.
- Submitting this form creates your partnership-application record against every financial institution you selected in Card 6.
- Each selected institution reviews and approves or rejects independently — approval from one does not imply approval from another.
- There is no other path to FI eligibility on SolarMarket — the FI toggle on the offer form stays permanently disabled for any institution you have not been approved by through this exact form.
A seller fills in Cards 1–5 accurately but leaves every institution unchecked in Card 6 — perhaps assuming SolarMarket will "match" them automatically. No application is ever submitted, because the submit button requires at least the directory to be non-empty and a genuine institution selection. Weeks later the seller is confused why FI financing "still doesn't work," when the real cause is that Card 6 was never completed at all.
Seller checklist
- All 5 required cards (identity, location, product categories, experience, at least one FI selection) are complete before submitting.
- "Preview programs" is used to check term/rate/amount fit before selecting an institution, not after.
- Region is selected before attempting to pick a district — the district list is empty until then.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply to more than one financial institution at once?
Yes — Card 6 lets you select multiple institutions in a single application; each one reviews and approves independently.
Why is the district dropdown empty?
Districts load only after a region is selected — pick a region first and the district list populates automatically.
What if no institutions appear in Card 6?
Only institutions with at least one active program are listed; if none currently qualify, a warning replaces the section and there is nothing to submit yet — check back later.
