Improving Access to Solar in Rural Areas of Cameroon
Overview
Access to modern energy for lighting continues to be a major challenge in Africa. It is estimated that of the approximately 110 million off-grid households (with 580 million individuals), more than half use kerosene lamps as their primary light source. It is estimated that $17 billion are spent annually in Sub-Saharan Africa on kerosene for lighting, clearly demonstrating the willingness of users to pay.
Recent technological improvements in lighting, particularly in the area of Solar Lightning Products, create opportunities for delivering affordable and appropriate technological solutions tailored especially to the needs of off-grid African consumers.
Total Access to Solar (TATS) -Now AWANGO - aims to provide affordable solar energy solutions adapted to low-income families with no reliable access to energy and is implemented in cooperation with GIZ. Under this framework, the two partners are collaborating to implement a Development Partnership Project named ‘Improving Access to Solar Energy through a Base of the Pyramid Approach’ whose objective is to improve access to solar energy for the low income population by enhancing market supply chains for pico photovoltaic systems in Cameroon.
This joint project, implemented in Kenya and Cameroon, commenced activities in October 2011 and it is expected to end by the end of 2013. Key activities under the Project included:
1. Training of 200 solar lighting value chain entrepreneurs in each country and involving of 50 micro-enterprises in the dissemination of the solar lamp in each country.
2. Baseline study and M&E study is done based on the baseline assessment made at the beginning of the year.
3. Awareness creation material is prepared and intervention is done to end users
4. Recommendation is made for a recycling system for solar lighting products and partners for the implementation are identified.
5. Access to finance (identify options and make linkages to the market actors)
By the end of the project, it is targeted to sell 100,000 solar lighting products in each of the countries (Kenya & Cameroon) to end users whereby 40% of the end users will be BOP.
An overview of the project can be obtained here.
Building Capacities of Rural Entrepreneurs
One of the main Objective of the project was to create a value chain to for Pico PV lighting systems to rural areas. This have been feasible through the training of rural entrepreneurs
