SENEGAL: Germany’s Gauff connects 60 solar mini-grids in the Kolda region

Senegal relies on mini-grids for the electrification of its rural areas. And this policy is reflected in the field by concrete projects implemented in partnership with private companies such as Gauff Engineering. The company based in Nuremberg, Germany, has just commissioned 60 solar mini-grids in Kolda, a region located in Upper Casamance, in southern Senegal. At least five of these installations were inaugurated a few days ago in the districts of Velingara, Medina and Kolda, about a day’s drive from the capital Dakar.

Baba Diallo, the director general of the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASEER), who initiated the ASEER 300 project, was present. Until now, the villages benefiting from the project were not connected to an electrical network. “The sometimes very difficult accessibility of the connected communities illustrates the importance of the self-sufficient power supply that now works,” says Gauff.

Productive use of electricity

In addition to electrification, the recently commissioned facilities also enable the productive use of electricity. In concrete terms, the local population, consisting mainly of farmers, will receive equipment, including pumps for irrigation and machinery for the processing and transformation of agricultural products.