In 2001, SELF Executive Director Robert Freling
and Jigawa State Governor Ibrahim Siminu Turaki began a dialog concerning
the possibility of using solar electricity (photovoltaic) to power
essential services in the far-flung villages of Jigawa State (in
northern Nigeria). Under his leadership, Jigawa State has started
a computer technology trade school and is the first state in Northern
Nigeria to create a satellite-based broadband internet and communications
system to link all local government districts. As project plans
developed, funding commitments were obtained from the United
States Agency for International Development and the United
States Department of Energy. The U.S. Government entities committed
about 60% of the necessary funding with the balance coming from
Jigawa State. SELF was the lead implementing organization and partnered
with the Jigawa Alternative Energy Fund (JAEF), a non-government
organization formed specifically to promote the use of renewable
energy.
The project demonstrates the comprehensive
use of solar-generated electricity in a village setting to improve
education, water supply, health, agriculture, commerce, security
and women's opportunities.
In the desert grasslands of Northern
Nigeria, village life has changed little over the centuries.
Many people still live in houses constructed of mud and thatch,
use donkeys or cattle-drawn carts for transportation and scratch
out a subsistence living by growing their crops in the harsh
conditions found just south of the Sahara Desert. Cooking
is done over wood fires and kerosene lamps provide meager
lighting that produce toxic fumes and the danger of fire.
Public education is not free and is therefore limited, as
are the opportunities for employment. In most villages, water
of questionable quality is either pulled from an open well
by rope or brought to the surface with hand pumps.Village
women must walk miles to the nearest water source.
Rural areas in Northern Nigeria lack
the modern energy sources needed for improvements in health,
education, transportation and commercial development. Outside
of major cities and towns, there has been very little electrification
in this region and what supply there is, is often unreliable.
In contrast, Nigeria has an abundance of petroleum-based energy
resources and in fact is the sixth largest supplier of oil
to the U.S. Unfortunately, very little revenue from the sale
of this resource filters down to help the rural population.
There are thousands of villages scattered
around globe that benefit from some type of photovoltaic (PV)
application; usually lighting for homes or water pumping or
vaccine refrigerators. In very few places has PV been used
to address virtually all of the things that a community needs
energy for. But that’s what we decided to do and we were
going to do it in three villages where over 7,500 people would
benefit from the results.
Project Description and Impact
Having a reliable water supply is the
first priority of any village and this is especially true
in the semi-desert of Jigawa State where there are few rivers
or other sources of water on the surface of the land. Typical
methods of getting water range from open wells with rope and
bucket, to hand pumps, to government supplied diesel-powered
pumps that work only until they break down or until villagers
run out of money to buy the expensive diesel fuel. The powerful
solar-powered pumps supplied with this project are designed
to run maintenance free for eight to ten years or more and
are currently supplying the villages with clean, fresh water
from deep wells. Because the wells are tied into a village
distribution system with numerous taps, the time that families
used to spend getting water has been reduced as well.
The village health clinics now benefit
from solar energy. Lights enable health officers to see patients
at night for the first time, vaccine refrigerators allow more
people to be vaccinated at greater frequency and fans increase
the comfort level of staff and patients alike.
Village primary schools now have at least
two illuminated classrooms and teachers report that they are
being heavily used in the evenings for adult education and
as places for children to come and do their lessons. Each
school has also been provided with a computer and computer
instruction for the teachers. These are the first computers
in the project villages and there are plans to eventually
hook them to the internet via the State’s broadband system-
a process that can literally open the village to the rest
of the world for healthcare, education and commerce.
Streetlights are among the most valued
PV systems used by the villagers. In such a hot climate where
people enjoy the cool of the evening, a great deal of business
and socializing take place after sunset. Streetlights now
give people bright places to congregate. Several new food-selling
businesses are now open for business beneath the lights at
these new market locations. Many streetlights are located
conveniently by water taps and all supply much valued security
for people at night.
Villagers also appreciate having electricity
in their mosques. Lighting makes nighttime activities possible
and public address systems facilitate the call to prayer five
times each day.
The solar-powered micro-enterprise buildings
are the project centerpieces in each village. Each center
provides electricity to 6 very small businesses that would
otherwise not have access to electricity. The shared PV system,
much less expensive than individual systems for each shop,
allow tailors to move up from manual sewing machines to electric,
barbers, from manual clippers to electric, and similar improvements
in productivity for other types of businesses.
This project has introduced home lighting
systems to each village. Compared to the kerosene lights that
they replace, solar lighting offers a better light without
the inherent fumes and fire danger of the old lamps. System
users report that it is now easier for children to do their
studies and home businesses are thriving under the better
lighting conditions. And of course, families appreciate going
about their normal activities with good lighting. With about
20 systems in each village, we have created demand and a great
deal of interest in home systems. JAEF will be able to continue
electrifying houses using a micro-credit scheme where the
payments for each system will accumulate to purchase additional
systems for more homes.
One of the project villages, Wawan-rafi,
has a lake nearby that is used to irrigate cash crops during
the rainy season. However, many of the poorest farmers are
limited in their growing ability by only being able to water
their fields using a hollowed-out gourd – a slow and
labor intensive process. For these farmers, we developed a
cattle or person pulled cart with fold-out unbreakable solar
modules powering an efficient pump that can be moved from
field to field. More efficient irrigation will enable farmers
to produce and sell more to provide greater income for their
families.
The only source of income for most village
women is the production and sale of peanut oil. Traditionally,
small amounts of oil are made in a process taking great amounts
of time and strenuous labor. In Wawan-rafi, we have incorporated
a solar-powered oil expeller that will save time and labor
while earning more income for women.
Sustainability
As in all SELF projects, sustainability
is the prime concern. A great deal of care has been taken
to ensure that this project will be technically, financially
and organizationally sustainable. In its role as the maintainer
of all project systems, JAEF provides both local and professional
staff technicians to frequently check each system. Extensive
training will ensure that there is always someone in each
village to address any problems that might arise. Small, affordable
fees collected from users will be used to pay technicians
and to maintain an inventory of spare parts.
The comprehensive application of solar
electricity in these villages will bring profound changes
in education, health and commerce while easing the burdens
of living in a harsh environment. Beyond the benefits to these
three villages, we have also created a viable model that can
be replicated in Northern Nigeria and elsewhere. This project
has already garnered a great deal of media attention both
within Nigeria and internationally with coverage from CNN
(see video above).
It has been visited by the Governors
of surrounding states, by acting U.S. Ambassador Rick Roberts
and by Nigerian President Obasanjo. Other governments have
contacted SELF with interest in implementing aid projects
that replicate what we’ve done in Jigawa State.
Governor Turaki was pleased with this
project and has begun to plan the next phase that will bring
the multiple benefits of PV to his people in 30 more villages.
SELF is offering its experience and expertise to JAEF to help
manage this project.
