The government of Togo has unveiled plans to install off-grid solar power panels in 14 villages in the country. They villages are located in the central regions, Kara and the savannah, among others.
Solar power project
According to Patrice Kwamé, the Executive Secretary of the Council of the Entente, the organisation’s commitment to developing the off grid electricity is reflected here Togo. “We are continuing its development in this country and in the other member states of the organisation,” he said.
The Council of the Entente is a West African regional economic cooperation organisation. It includes several countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger. A few months earlier, this institution financed the distribution of solar kits to 350 households in rural Togo.
The project was implemented by the Togolese Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Agency. It also conducted a series of actions that could enable Togo achieve its ambition to increase from the current rural electrification rate of 8% to 50% in 2030.
Also Read:Egypt to construct US $1.2bn concentrated solar power (CSP) plants
The Cizo project
To achieve this goal, Togo launched in December 2017, the rural electrification programme using solar kits, entitled Cizo. The assessment produced in July 2019 established that this initiative had made it possible to equip more than 23,000 households with solar kits. The programme also enabled the Electricity Company of Togo (CEET) to build 65,000 social connections.
Through the Cizo project, the government plans to implement at least 300,000 solar systems across the country. Furthermore, the government is still waiting for funding from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) to install mini solar networks in 317 villages across the country. This project includes the development, co-financing, construction and maintenance of mini solar networks and distribution networks. It also takes into account the distribution and marketing of electricity to customers.
