Urgent energy needs in a high-potential region

Context and Challenges
The regions of Saint-Louis and Matam are home to approximately 1.1 million and 700,000 people respectively, with about half of the population living in rural areas. Although electrification rates are improving, significant geographic disparities remain. On average, one in two rural households in these regions still has no access to electricity.

Beyond basic access, the quality of electricity services is highly uneven across areas. This affects not only households, but also economic operators, particularly agropastoral processing units (rice, fisheries, dairy, cereals, etc.), which struggle to grow due to inadequate services: low power supply, frequent outages, and unreliable infrastructure.

In addition, firewood and charcoal remain the main sources of cooking fuel—used by 72% and 44% of households respectively—despite intense pressure on forest resources in this Sahelian region.

Yet the region has significant untapped energy potential, particularly solar and biomass (agricultural residues, animal waste). For years, Le Partenariat has been promoting biodigester installations to generate heat from local organic waste.

Supporting local energy access dynamics

Objectives and solutions
The Renewable Energy Access Program (PAER), locally led by Le Partenariat and the Regional Development Agencies (ARDs) of Saint-Louis and Matam, aims to expand renewable energy solutions in these regions for households, economic actors, and farmers’ organizations.

Launched in 2017, the program seeks to:

• Establish institutional conditions conducive to the promotion of renewable energy by local stakeholders, aligned with territorial needs and available resources;
• Strengthen and support the emergence of a local social and solidarity-based enterprise network able to deliver accessible, effective biogas and solar solutions;
• Promote the adoption of renewable energy among economic operators and households, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Geres’ contribution to local initiatives

Geres’ actions
Geres has contributed to several components of the program:

• Training the teams of Le Partenariat and the Saint-Louis ARD in conducting energy diagnostics and creating a regional energy atlas. Based on surveys of more than 2,000 households, these tools led to the development of a Regional Action Plan, coordinated by the ARD. These deliverables have helped renew local dialogue around energy issues within the PAER framework.
• Training on sizing solar systems for productive electricity uses for teams from Le Partenariat and the ARDs.
• Technical and methodological support for the deployment of several energy platforms, including:
  
• Cas-Cas: A solar pumping platform (16.5 kWp) now irrigates a 40-hectare vegetable-growing area managed by a women’s cooperative (GIE) of nearly 500 members. Three technicians have been trained for maintenance, and a management committee ensures sustainable governance of the infrastructure.
  Based on the success of this first site, the model has been replicated in Mboumba.
• Mbiddi: A hybrid platform combining 16 kWp of solar panels, an 80 kWh battery storage system, and a 20 kVA backup generator. Inspired by the Electrified Activity Zone (ZAE) model developed by Geres in Mali, it enables 12 local businesses to offer new services to over 6,000 residents in a remote area. A second ZAE was replicated in Ganina, managed by the same operator, Souleymane Diallo, who has recorded positive results and is now aiming to scale the model nationally.

You can find project documents, summary reports, evaluations, and the energy diagnostic on the website of Le Partenariat NGO.

Scaling up an energy access model for economic development

Vision
Geres aims to expand this dynamic by replicating the ZAE model in other regions of Senegal. The goal is to support the emergence of local solar mini-grid operators dedicated to productive uses of energy.

To achieve this, Geres continues working alongside Le Partenariat, the ARDs, and Luxembourg-based NGO ADA, with the ambition of launching new projects, enhancing energy access, and fostering local economic development.

Partners

• Le Partenariat 

• Regional Development Agencies (ARDs) of Saint-Louis and Matam