Gradually, access to energy, especially solar energy, is gaining ground on the African continent. Today, many companies offer off-grid solar energy systems to compensate for the lack of public electricity service. Nevertheless, after the installation of these off-grid systems at home, the problem of maintenance and servicing sometimes arises. To make up for this lack, Électricité de France (EDF), the largest energy supplier in Europe, and Energy Generation, an association that promotes technological and entrepreneurial innovation, want to put African women at the centre of the action.
The agreement provides for training in entrepreneurship, maintenance and servicing of off-grid solar systems. This training is part of the “Women and Solar Entrepreneurship” programme. This programme aims to train women in Off-Grid solar system installation and maintenance techniques and entrepreneurship aspects.
The arrangement between the two parties stipulates that EDF will design the training module. Energy Generation, which has mastered the field well in West Africa, will take care of “implementation within training centres dedicated to energy professions”. “We are particularly pleased with this partnership with EDF, which is a perfect fit with our mission and vision. Thanks to this training, some 100 women in Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire will be trained in a profession with a brighter economic future, but above all, they will be trained to be full-fledged actors in their country’s energetic transition,” stated Astria Fataki, the founding president of Energy Generation.
One more project for EDF on the African continent
Very active on the African continent, the French company EDF, which employs more than 154,000 people worldwide, recently announced that it has acquired a stake (nearly 30%) in the Kenyan start-up SunCulture. This young plant with very high growth potential provides affordable solar pumps and irrigation systems to farmers in several rural areas in Kenya.
EDF also gives priority to innovation on the African continent, notably with the EDF Pulse Africa prize. In partnership with Energy Generation, the company has already awarded several African start-ups in 2017. This is the case of Lono, which transforms organic waste into biogas in Ivory Coast, or fr Majik Water, which supplies drinking water in arid zones in Kenya thanks to an atmospheric water generator powered by solar energy. The winners of the 2018 edition will be announced on 22 November.
Jean Marie Takouleu