Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States - Voices of a Brighter Future

Milo Milfort

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 16:49:00 +0000

Competition Winner: Milo Milfort

Milo Milfort studied Social Communication and Public Administration at the State University of Haiti and Photography at the Center of Photographic and Cinematographic Studies. From March 2016, he started working as a freelance photographer/ journalist with the Haitian weekly based in New York, Haiti Liberté. He also writes for Mag Haiti, an online media. In September 2016, he was among the 10 winners of the 2nd edition of the “Young Journalist Award of Haiti.” In February 2017, Milo Milfort founded Enquet’Action, an independent, critical and alternative investigative media whose mission is to carry out journalistic investigations on subjects of public interest.

Renewable Energy is the Future for Haiti

Click here to read to the original story in French

Low access rates, mediocre quality services, unequal access to electricity for the population. The energy system in Haiti is subject to eternal challenges that constitute a major obstacle to reducing poverty in a country, yet with high potential of clean energies.

In the face of these limitations, non-state actors are proposing alternatives to use renewable energies to provide electricity to marginalized and forgotten populations of state authorities.

At homes, electricity replaces harmful and dangerous lamps, reduces spending on energy sources (kerosene, candles, telephone charging, etc.) and saves valuable time by replacing dangerous manual work and the daily quest for fuel (wood and water), a chore generally provided by women and girls.

For some years now, the social reality is quite different at Mole St Nicolas, for Jean Rabel and Bombardopolis in the northwestern department of Haiti. The sustainable energy used positively affects the lives of no less than 20 thousand people – living in some of Haiti’s poorest regions, says Mag Haiti. They are part of the small minority who have access to affordable electricity 24/7 in a country where ¾ of the population do not have this opportunity and where those who have it – have to deal with intermittent access from 5 to 9 hours a day. That has not been always the situation. Previously, electricity was a luxury for the people of the Northwest who live in a region with great potential for renewable energy, as well as an untapped potential for communities to develop.

“Before the arrival of Sigora, those who can, have tried to find an answer to the blackout that reigned there. Churches, businesses and the better-off got inverter, batteries, solar panels and generators. Those who cannot afford such luxury – deprived of electric energy – used a kerosene lamp as lighting in the evening”, recalls Remy Julmisse, CEO of Radio TV Jean Rabel (RTJR). The native of Jean Rabel indicates that there was electricity in his country in the 80s-90 from 10am to midnight, and after – periods of blackout followed. This, despite the attempt to implement a large electrification project by the former President René Préval during his second term – which has not succeeded.

In Haiti, between 25 to 30% of the population in urban areas and less than 5% in rural areas have access to electricity, according to official figures. In the Latin America and Caribbean region, the country has the lowest electrification rate and the largest number of people without access to electricity – more than 8 million. “The cost is affordable. Since the electrification of several regions, people stay much later in the streets. The radios operate 24 hours a day, yet before they worked only 5 hours a day. City lighting creates a safer climate. And, everyone turns into a shopkeeper”, adds Julmisse Sigora customer since mid-2017. The head of media announces the opening of a television channel soon in the city. “Lately, a cutout of the electricity from 7am to 10pm – has created a climate of panic on the city because people are not used to blackout”; he says. He reveals that remote communal sections still do not have access to electricity. This blackout occurred because of the required system maintenance. A customer can recharge his account from 25 gourdes. He can do it, but someone else who knows his number can buy him hours of electricity. With 25 gourdes, the recipient with two bulbs and phones to recharge, can have power for 24 hours.

The availability of 24/7 electric power has allowed companies to stop using their diesel generators, many of which were oversized and poorly maintained. In schools and clinics, workers report improvements in service delivery through 24/7 food.

Consistent service is essential for businesses, large and small, to thrive. Businesses lose on average 5 to 15% of their sales due to frequent power outages. This figure rises to 20% for informal companies unable to afford relief, according to a study by the Dalberg Group titled "Improving access to electricity through decentralized renewable energy, case study policy, released in May 2017.

Since they are connected to the electricity provided by Sigora Haiti, sellers stay open longer at night, extending their productive sales hours between 3 and 5 hours a day.

Sustainable energy at the grassroots?

At the base of these changes in living conditions and existence, is the arrival of the company Sigora Haiti that produces electricity through a combination of solar energy and diesel generators, and who will soon add battery storage . Sigora operates hybrid networks that leverage Haiti's vast renewable energy potential to provide reliable power to the communities it serves.

"Before Sigora, students were studying on candlelight or kerosene, which emitted harmful fumes, while others were forced to leave their homes to study in the light of streetlamps. Today, this is no longer the case”, proudly supports Natasha Skreslet, Impact and Communications Director at Sigora Haiti.

The company started with a dream of electrifying a clinic and became today a large-scale green utility project. This utility company generates, distributes and sells energy directly to the end customer, and provides electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, clean, reliable and at a reasonable price to some underserved communities in Haiti.

"We envision communities where children can study at night, where adults have many job opportunities and where businesses thrive"; she adds. From 2015 to date, Sigora Haiti - subsidiary of Sigora International based in San Francisco in the United States - is 4 micro-networks, 4,000 connections and 20,000 customers. Currently, its production capacity is 1.25 MW. Once the first phase of the North-West Electrification Project has been completed, the company promises to expand its network to 136 thousand or 27 thousand accounts. This, with a renewable energy capacity of 3.5 MWp.

The institution welcomes the initiatives of the government of Haitian President Jovenel Moise to expand access to electricity. "We are ready to work with all stakeholders to advance this important goal"; said Natasha Skreslet, admitting the benefits of a prepaid system adopted by her company. Without minimal monthly expenses, even the smallest customer can afford to connect, and customers pay only for what they use.

"Renewable energies - that's the future in Haiti. New electricity service approaches that exploit smart meters, prepaid electricity and solar power plants hold the promise of sustainably expanding access to energy in previously underserved and unconnected areas of the country", concludes Natasha Skreslet.

According to Haiti';s sustainable energy roadmap released in November 2014, only 6 square kilometers of solar photovoltaic panels would be able to produce as much electricity as Haiti produced in 2011. The study compares the economic and societal costs of electricity. current electricity sector in Haiti and its usual development to that of alternative routes and concludes that Haiti will benefit enormously if it relies more heavily on renewable energy sources and less on fossil fuels.

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Safia Mahdi

Anonymous — Thu, 03 May 2018 15:53:00 +0000

Competition Winner: Safia Mahdi

Safia Mahdi has been reporting for more than a year through the Al-Arabi website. Her stories are also carried by the “Here is Your Voice” radio station affiliated with Netherlands World Radio Station as well as Deutsche Welle Arabic. Safia graduated in 2014 with a BA in Journalism. Her interests include social, health and humanitarian issues.

Solar energy in Yemen. Light Shines Through the Darkness of War

Click here to read to the original story in Arabic.

The collapse of electricity in Yemen and the absence of service due to the turmoil of war pushed Yemeni people to look for another alternative. They found that in the solar energy which their country enjoys throughout the year. With this alternative, they even reached areas that did not enjoy electricity before…

When darkness covered most of Yemen’s cities, including the capital Sana’a for more than two and a half years ago, the so-called electricity had not reached yet Hassan’s family who lives in a rural village of Dhamar province (100 km south of the capital). But in recent years, they finally got electricity through the “solar energy” that most Yemeni families, especially in the north, center and west of the country, depend on it now. An experiment imposed by the tough circumstances, which is considered a positive phenomenon. But “clean energy” faces many problems and requires encouragement and regulation by the respective authorities.

In Athoura, located in a mountainous area called Wassab al-‘Ali, where there are many villages, some of which did not benefit from government services yet, Hassan’s family is following what is happening in the world through a 14-inch television screen (150 watts) connected to a regulator and a battery (120 amp), from which small wires spread either to turn on the lights around the house or to charge the mobile phone. At sunset though, the television may be switched on for few hours only due to the deterioration of the battery that stores electricity, a problem faced by most solar users.

According to a study by the “Present Research Center” last year, 51 percent of Yemenis rely on renewable energy (mostly solar energy), from which some 34 percent use solar energy for lighting and household and electrical appliances, while 17 percent use it for lighting only.

The cost of a solar home system that provides the minimum needs of poor or low-income families, such as the Hassan’s family, is approximately YR 100,000 (about $ 300) including the cost of wires, battery, regulator and panel. But after a few months the battery’s efficiency begins to gradually deteriorate. As far as the households that need more energy and have the financial capacity to acquire it, the costs of the system capable of operating most of the devices could reach more than $ 2,000, same applies to the enterprises.

“The population in Yemen is distributed in many small, rural and scattered communities, which is a major obstacle to accessing electricity services in many areas,” explains Ibrahim Al-Yusufi, a solar energy engineer, to DW Arabic. Therefore, independent photovoltaic cells and energy storage batteries are the best option, according to Mr. Al-Yusufi, and have been an ideal solution that can be relied upon, fully or partially, depending on the financial capacity of the household.

Obstacles to optimal use of solar energy

However, the use of the solar energy individual initiatives faces many obstacles, said the engineer, including the high cost of this system, and the fact that this field is still new. So, most of the people do not know how to maintain it and what are the conditions and criteria for its optimal use. Also, there are various brands of those systems in the market, and people do not know which one is the best in terms of quality.

On the other hand, Mr. Omar El-Hayani, an expert and media researcher in the field of energy, believes that the negative part in the experience of using solar energy is that “there is still a random and unthought use of the family’s need for energy, which is limited to lighting in most in addition to the operation of electronic devices such as television, computers, washing machines, while some of it is used for heating water”.
“It is a great experience in general and needs governmental support and organization to raise the efficiency of the solar use and to train the technical staff needed in the market”, he added.

There are other uses for the solar energy in the fields of agricultural and clean water. Due to the high fuel prices (diesel) and the difficulties of providing it because of the ongoing war, energy has also entered rural water supply field where it runs drinking water pumps from wells in many rural and remote areas.

Poverty and the “luxury” of electricity

With the outbreak of war in Yemen, the country plunged into a severe crisis and many services have collapsed. Government power plants have been shut down. The Yemeni capital and many of the country’s cities have sunk into total darkness. On the other hand, trade of solar home systems become popular in the market and solar panels have spread over rooftops in almost every city and village, including areas that have not already been connected to electricity.

Although government electricity has returned completely or partially to some areas of Yemen, especially those controlled by the internationally recognized government in the south, center and east of the country, the rest of the region, including the capital Sana’a, has remained almost entirely dependent on solar energy to cover the basic needs of homes.

“Since the outbreak of the war in 2015 and the power outage, families in cities, particularly in Sana’a, have resorted to using solar energy, which represents the lifeline for getting energy,” says Omar Al-Hayani. “Since 2015, Yemen has witnessed a suffocating blockade of oil derivatives, the use of solar energy has been the only option,” he said. “This is a quantum leap in the use of renewable energy, despite the high cost on households.”

A popular market and new job opportunities

In the early months of the crisis that escalated in March 2015, there were only a few solar panels and batteries in the market, and were quickly consumed, so their prices rose dramatically before traders resorted to importing solar energy supplies. Then, new shops have spread in various cities, specialized in the sale and engineering of energy, thus providing new work opportunities for those who install and maintain solar systems at homes. “Solar energy has become an important economic resource for many, whether individuals or companies,” says Abdulrahman Eidros, a sales officer at a Sanaa-based company to DW Arabic.

“Consumers complain about the prices rise and the shabbiness of solar panels and batteries, which become less effective after the first six months of use. That is due to the misuse or lack of original products that were available three years ago. The market sank with shabby Chinese panels and batteries, which were very popular among consumers because of their low prices compared to other brands”, he added. “Citizens should always consult experienced people even when buying Chinese products”, he recommended, “because they are various types of Chinese products on the market”.

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Séna Libla

Anonymous — Wed, 02 May 2018 16:38:00 +0000

Competition Winner: Séna Libla

Séna Wislande Libla, was born on February 27, 1993 in Cotonou, Benin. She holds a degree in audiovisual journalism obtained in 2016. She is currently in her second year of a Masters in audiovisual journalism at the ISMA, Institute of Audiovisual Professions of Benin. Eleven months ago, she started working at the National Radio of Benin as a reporter.

Solar Street Lights Changing Lives in Benin

Click here to listen to the original story in French

We are in Fian Couta, a district of 12th district of Cotonou. In our field of vision, Adjoua, in her thirties, is busy while waiting for customers. She sells donut porridge made from wheat flour.

“I’m selling cooked porridge and wheat flour donuts. It’s been seven years now that I’m doing this business. I have three children who are all going to school. “

It is 5 pm, residents of the district and other visitors go to her display to taste what she is offering. Adjoua rushes to satisfy them. Next to it is a stove of incandescent charcoal on which is placed a pan containing simmering palm oil. On the fire, bayées that serve as an accompaniment to the porridge are in full cooking. It is a business led by most women in this neighborhood. While at nightfall, the other vendors find themselves in the dark with the only lighting of the smoking lanterns, Adjoua enjoys the light beam generated by the solar lamp under which she has establish her location. It is a metal post that rests on a concrete base. This public lighting device, about three meters long, is topped with a solar panel that powers it. For Adjoua installed here for a year, the choice of this site is not random:

“Since I settled under this lamp, I make more profit because this solar slope enlighten me. Added to this is the way I maintain my display. All this attracts customers who stop even if they are in their cars. Before I was at least 4 miles to 5 miles CFA of profit. But since I’ve been here, I’m doing at least 6 or 7,000 francs a day and I’m happy. “

Benefits that allow her to support her husband in the household expenses: “Speaking of the burden of children, these benefits allow me to help my husband pay for their schooling. I’m in charge of their breakfast and their clothes. I also take care of myself and thank God. When the taxi engine breaks down, this street lamp allows them to stop to repair their motorcycle. Which brings me a lot of customers.”

Accompanying Photos

6pm Adjoua is at her location in Fiyégnon Houta, a district of Fidjrossé in Cotonou in Benin.
Adjoua sitting in front of her stove of charcoal. On her right side the solar street lamp not yet lit.

6:20 pm Adjoua is working to serve her first clients.

7:00 pm Adjoua’s customers placing orders and waiting to be served.

7:30 pm Lighting of the solar pole lamp, next to it stand Adjoua’s nephews.
She is on the other side focused on serving her clients.

7:35 pm Adjoua’s customers waiting to be served under the light of the solar pole lamp.

7:45 pm Adjoua’s daughter with her reading book surrounded by her cousins, under the light of the solar lamp.

7:55 pm The customers in front of Adjoua’s display, coming to buy porridge and donuts made of wheat flour.

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Voices of a Brighter Future

Anonymous — Wed, 02 May 2018 14:23:00 +0000

UN-OHRLLS run the Voices of a Brighter Future Sustainable Energy Journalism Competition

Journalists from Least Developed Countries were invited to submit stories on how sustainable energy is positively affecting communities in their countries. Seven winners, were selected by a high-level panel to attend the Sustainable Energy For All Forum in Lisbon (2-3 May, 2018) and also have their stories featured by the UN.

A new digital magazine featuring the winning LDC journalists and their stories was launched on 1 May, 2018. The magazine’s launch was timed to coincide with the start of the Sustainable Energy for All Forum taking place in Lisbon (2-3 May, 2018) and where the winning journalists participated.

The competition had been run by UN-OHRLLS with generous support from the Government of Norway, Sustainable Energy for All and the �山��O ffice for South-South Cooperation.

Competition Winners

Winners (from top left):

Sèna Libla: "Solar Street Lights Changing Lives in Benin"
Moussa Ngom: "Senegalese Communities Call for Better Solar Equipment"
Moussa Ngom: "Senegalese Communities Call for Better Solar Equipment"

Competition Information

Calling all journalists from the Least Developed Countries [English]

The United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) is looking for inspiring stories on how sustainable energy positively impacts communities and individuals in the world’s Least Developed Countries.

Three winners of the ‘Voices of A Brighter Future’ competition will have their work featured by the United Nations and other news outlets, with travel and expenses covered to report from the Sustainable Energy for All Forum in Lisbon, Portugal 2-3 May 2018.

Entries will be judged by a high-level panel from the United Nations, sustainable energy and media sector.

Submissions must have been published or broadcast between 16 August 2017 and 22 March 2018 (DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 22 MARCH 2018). Please read the guidelines for submissions in full.

Please Note this competition is only open for journalists who are nationals from Least Developed Countries. A full list of these countries is available here: http://bit.ly/2v4Oawy

This competition has been made possible with the generous financial support of the Government of Norway.

Appel à tous les journalistes des Pays les Moins Avancés [French]

Le Bureau des Nations Unies pour la Haute Représentante des Pays les Moins Avancés, des Pays en Développement Sans Littoral et des Petits États Insulaires en Développement (UN-OHRLLS) est à la recherche d’histoires inspirantes sur la façon dont l’énergie durable affecte positivement les communautés et les individus dans les Pays les Moins Avancés du monde.

Le travail des trois lauréat(e)s du concours qui s’intitule “Les Voix D’Un Avenir Plus Radieux” sera mis en exergue par les Nations Unies et les agences de presse. L’ONU se chargera des frais du voyage et dépenses des trois lauréat(e)s à Lisbonne, au Portugal, où ils (elles) couvriront les événements du Forum sur l’Énergie Durable qui se déroulera à Lisbonne, les 2 et 3 mai 2018.

Les reportages soumis seront jugés par un panel de haut niveau composé des représentants de l’ONU, de l’énergie durable et du secteur des médias.

Nous demandons que les reportages soient publiés ou diffusés entre le 16 août 2017 et le 16 mars 2018 et soumis au plus tard à minuit le 16 mars 2018 (à l’heure normale de l’Est). Veuillez appuyer ici pour lire les instructions intégrales de participation à ce concours.

Veuillez noter que ce concours est ouvert uniquement pour les journalistes ressortissant(e)s de Pays les Moins Avancés. Une liste complète de ces pays est disponible sur le lien suivant: http://bit.ly/2v4Oawy

Panel of Judges

Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu [@fekita_u]

Ms. ‘Utoikamanu is Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

Ms. ‘Utoikamanu, a Tongan national, took up her appointment as the High Representative in May 2017. Prior to taking up her position with the United Nations, she was the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Tourism in Tonga.

Ms. ‘Utoikamanu has a wealth of national, regional and international experience at various senior leadership levels. She was previously Acting Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Council of the University of the South Pacific (2015), Deputy Pro-Chancellor and Deputy Chair of the Council of the University of the South Pacific (2009-2016), Deputy Director General and Director of Education, Training and Human Development of the Secretariat of Pacific Community (2009-2015), Permanent Representative and Ambassador of the Government of Tonga to the United Nations, United States of America, Cuba and Venezuela and High Commissioner to Canada (2005-2009), and Secretary for Foreign Affairs and European Commission’s National Authorizing Officer for Tonga (2002-2005).

Alison Smale [@alison_smale]

Appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Ms. Alison Smale of the United Kingdom became Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the �山��on 1 September 2017.

Ms. Smale brings to the post almost 40 years of experience in international journalism in which she has been a reporter, an editor and a senior leader. Before joining the UN, she served most recently (2013 to 2017) as the Chief of Bureau in Berlin for the New York Times.

Ms. Smale served previously as Executive Editor of the International Herald Tribune from 2008 to 2013, becoming the first and only woman to have held that post. She joined that newspaper in 2004 as its Managing Editor.

Prior to that Ms. Smale was the New York Times’ Deputy Foreign Editor (2002 to 2004) and Weekend Foreign Editor (1998 to 2002). Earlier in her career she reported for United Press International and the Associated Press as a bureau chief or correspondent in Vienna, Moscow and Bonn.

Ms. Smale, who studied in Bristol, Munich and at Stanford in the United States, holds a Bachelor of Arts in German and politics from Bristol University, and a Master of Arts in journalism from Stanford University. She also has an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Bristol University.

Ms. Smale is fluent in English, French, German and Russian.

Rachel Kyte [@rkyte365]

Rachel Kyte is Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and Special Representative of the �山��Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.

A leading advocate for sustainable development, Ms. Kyte is focused on affordable, reliable and sustainable energy as the key to combating both poverty and climate change. Ms. Kyte drives SEforALL’s work to mobilize action towards its 2030 goals of ensuring universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. As Special Representative for the Secretary General she is the point person in the �山��for action towards the recently agreed global goal on sustainable energy.

Ms Kyte served until December 2015 as World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change, leading the Bank Group’s efforts to campaign for an ambitious agreement at the 21st Convention of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 21). She was previously World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development and was the International Finance Corporation Vice President for Business Advisory Services.

Recipient of numerous awards for women’s leadership, climate action and sustainable development, she is a Professor of practice in sustainable development at Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from Fletcher, and a bachelor’s degree in history and politics from the University of London.

Yinka Adegoke [@YinkaWrites]

Yinka Adegoke is Africa editor for Quartz. He oversees Quartz Africa coordinating its news, ideas and events in partnership with an editorial team across the continent. As a journalist, has reported from more than 10 countries across Europe, Africa and the North America. Before joining Quartz, Yinka was deputy editor at Billboard where he ran the business coverage for the world’s leading music magazine brand. Prior to that he was Reuters’ senior media correspondent covering the global media business where he focused on the digital disruption of the traditional media industry. Earlier in his career Yinka was an editor at New Media Age in London covering the early days of the digital media revolution and a regular writer for The Guardian and The Financial Times. He has spoken at the World Bank, WTO and numerous business and technology events around the world. He’s also a pundit on broadcast outlets including BBC, CNN and NPR.

Sherwin Bryce-Pease [@sherwiebp]

Born and raised in East London, Sherwin has interviewed everyone from presidents such as Barack Obama to actors such as Morgan Freeman. He has also interviewed South African presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlante and Jacob Zuma, as well as local celebrities such as Black Coffee.

After completing a degree in Journalism and Linguistics at Rhodes University, Sherwin started out as a marketing and communications intern in the US during which time he also worked as an International Communications Liaison for Rhodes University. When he came back to South Africa, he started working for the SABC’s Newsbreak after which he became a Bulletin Writer and News Presenter on SAFM. In 2005, Sherwin was appointed Insert Producer and Co-Anchor of SABC’s Weekend Live as well as being a stand-in presenter on SABC 2’s Morning Live. In March 2008, Sherwin was appointed SABC’s US Bureau Chief & Correspondent, based at the United Nations in New York where he also covered the recent US elections. Sherwin was elected the President of the �山��Correspondents Association in 2017 and is the first African to be elected to this position.

Harish Hande [@Harishhande]

Harish Hande is the co-founder of SELCO, a social venture to eradicate poverty by promoting sustainable technologies in rural India, and the implementer of several REEEP-funded projects. With its headquarters in Bangalore, SELCO has 31 branches in the Indian states of Karnataka and Gujarat, and has installed solar lighting systems in over 145,000 households there.

Harish and SELCO have won many awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2011, the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2005 and the Ashden Outstanding Achievement Award in 2007. He was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation. India Today has named him one of the 50 pioneers of change in India.

Harish earned his Doctorate in energy engineering (solar specialty) at the University of Massachusetts (Lowell). He has an undergraduate degree in Energy Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.

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Moussa Ngom

Anonymous — Tue, 01 May 2018 17:51:00 +0000

Competition Winner: Moussa Ngom

Moussa Ngom is an independent journalist and therefore free to tour his country, Senegal, and narrate everyday stories of socio-cultural origins and unknown problems. After a short stint on television in 2017, he decided to make the most of the audience potential on the Net by practicing full-time his professional and civic blog “A Vos Commentaires” the beginning of an adventure that takes him into the country every month to discuss topics of interest.

Senegalese Communities Call for Better Solar Equipment

Click here to read the original version in French.

It is barely 8 o’clock when the rays of sun begin to shine on the roofs of the huts of Touba Aly Mbenda Lô. At the beginning of the day, the temperature is close to reaching the 40 ° on average at this time when the climate is relatively “mild” according to the words of the inhabitants.

The young teacher A. Kh. Sene unrolls the cable wrapped around his solar panel. In the other hand, he connects the small battery that supposed to store the energy thanks to the photovoltaic panel and the small electric clamps. Finding the right position for optimal exposure is a natural reflex acquired over the days.

Its device is most rustic, impossible to determine the level of charge because of the inverter, but 4 to 5 hours are sufficient according to him to ensure his needs at night. His bedroom lamp, an occasional charger for his smartphone, is essential for the tedious daily preparation of educational sheets.

It took only one week to convince the townsman to buy for 17,000 FCFA this light equipment, which is essential in this remote village that is not connected to the national electricity grid. However, a series of electric pylons extends in the margins of the village as far as the eye can see but it deflects the area to connect the next village, situated about twenty kilometers away, to the network of the department.

A ten-meter high pole stands in the center of the village as if to dazzle its inhabitants of the upcoming electricity arrival. But they are not impatient for its arrival.

“All we need is better solar equipment” ensured the Village Chief, where on either side the solar panels standing above the straw huts manage to handle a few light-weight appliances. “Everything but the fans and refrigerators” we used to say here not because of impossibility to have them, but because of the high price of solar accessories that can help manage them.

Unlike community-owned and managed hydraulic drilling, the arrival of power is not a high priority. The constraints related to its use and especially its cost have discouraged more than one villager preferring to remain autonomous. “We are peasants, it is only during times of trade that we have the means. If we install counters also many people will not be able to pay the bills especially during winter for someone like me,” according Mor Lô.

The mill manager in the village does not say the opposite. Busy scouring in the sun his equipment running on diesel, O. Camara is waiting for the arrival of electricity but at low prices. The electrical outlet is also already fitted out in his small refuge: “I prefer solar by far, it reduces operating costs since it belongs to us once and for all.”

An active company in the solar already offers its services to the local population but it does not agree to the majority of the 1500 inhabitants who wished to benefit from these more sophisticated facilities for a monthly payment of 3,500 Francs CFA spanning 3 years.

There is a financial contribution to pay in order not to suffer the same fate of the unfortunates cut of electricity for lack of payment.

At first sight, the 126.000francs of repayment seem sustainable, but the inhabitants of the village are for the most part poor. Many profit from the harvest to buy the necessary equipment for the rest of the year, some still do not have the means, and at the end of the greasy period finances become scarce.

“It’s better to save money and buy your own equipment than subscribe to such a deal” says Samb, who is himself an occasional technician for the city-based company. “At most, it only allows to light a few lamps during the night and can charge at most three phones during the day.” It was unlikely to think the same in the recent past.

“Before, just to charge our phones we had to travel 18 kilometers to Koungheul and the arrival of solar has prevented the acts of banditry since the perpetrators always prefer darkness,” according to the village chief. Besides, “it is with solar that we started to watch television”; reveals Mor Lô.

Watching TV is Abdou Ndao’s favorite pastime at this time. The reduction of the rural expenses is helping, the “Oustaz” (the master) divides his time between the religious practices and the Arabic channels programmes thanks to his small television surmounted by a decoder.

In spite of all the modesty that accompanies his gestures to the point of lowering his gaze before his guests, his shyness gives way to the passion for the solar which he has known by coincidence.

“At the time my big brother brought a TV that was powered by a generator. The engine was so loud that we did not hear much. When I went to Dakar to look for a solar panel I knew that it took 100 Volts to run our station while the battery only stored 12. That’s why I was recommended to buy an inverter that would increase the capacity of the battery. It cost a lot of money because the solar material was in this period a luxury, the panel alone costs about 200.000frs."

The investment was not ultimately at a loss. Like the girl who interrupted him a moment to recover his phone, a never-ending ballet of neighbors comes to garnish for ten years his storeroom converted into local electrical recharging for 50 to 150 francs CFA, sometimes nothing. “I earn up to 5,000 Francs CFA each day to charge people’s devices, the cost of installations is amortized in just one month, especially since the panels can last for several years.”

The business has become flourishing over time but the first goal of the sixty-year- old has always been his personal comfort by energy autonomy: “Unlike others I can turn on a fan with my panels, the one you see there, stays on all night long. The lamp with which it was made also allows me to read everything I want at night.

The farmer does not forget his neighbors for whom he has installed many solar panels in the past and knows better than anyone the concerns about electricity: “It only needs a very little support so that everyone, each house, can have enough electricity, it is not so difficult to make solar panels and we cannot run out of power because our exposure to the sun is one of the best. This “advocacy” he repeats it to all enthusiastically by showing a great understanding of the issues known to those who went to school unlike him.

“I did not go to school, but I think you know, like me, that the electricity obtained from fossil fuels with all the pollution it generates, is not even good for the environment. From my point of view, we can go beyond the Whites and the Arabs because we have more sun!”

A bright dream but Abdou Ndao still feeds it, eyes glittering with optimism, and hope to see it emerge one day.

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