Faced with major climate and development challenges, access to renewable energy has become vital for hundreds of millions of Sahelians. In the Sahel, a region endowed with enormous potential, UNDP has set the ambitious goal of providing more than 150 million people with access to clean and affordable energy by 2025.

Guinea: Bridging the energy gap

In a mountainous landscape surrounded by dense vegetation and numerous watercourses, the isolated villages of western Guinea in the forest region seem to move backwards in time. However, on this land with abundant rainfall and natural resources, several communities have managed to bridge the energy gap thanks to renewable energy.

In Guinea, energy access stands at 18.1 percent, with 47.8 percent in urban areas and 2 percent in rural areas. As consumption is concentrated in urban areas, rural households have almost no access to energy.

Thanks to the construction of hydroelectric dams, hundreds of inhabitants of the villages of Firadou and Bolodou, separated by about 50 kilometres, now benefit from uninterrupted electricity supply.

"Now we have power outlets in our homes to charge our phones and use electronic devices. We have light to carry out our activities at night. We can even watch television for information or entertainment," enthuses a Firadou resident. Here, the power plant installed in 2017 and expanded in 2021 produces 43 KVA of electricity and 60 KVA in Bolodou, according to the UNDP representative in Guinea.

These renewable energy projects were initiated by young people who were tired of being disconnected and wanted to provide energy for their communities. Prototypes were first made with available resources, and subsequently, UNDP supported these local initiatives and helped them expand.

Njoya Tikum, Director, UNDP Sub-Regional Hub for West and Central Africa and Resident Representative, UNDP Senegal