« We are developing renewable energies » – Yamako Soungalo Soulama
The Albert Schweitzer Ecological Center of Burkina Faso (CEAS-Burkina Faso) develops renewable energies through its “research, action and innovation” Department. We met Yamako Soungalo Soulama, the Technical Innovation Assistant, who talked about current projects and their financing sources.
Your NGO – CEAS (Albert Schweitzer Ecological Center) Burkina Faso – is committed to providing sustainable renewable energy for all in Burkina Faso. How do things happen on the ground?
CEAS-Burkina had been a CEAS-Switzerland branch to Burkina Faso since 1982, and became autonomous on September 24, 2009, to establish more financing partnerships to support its activities. Today, CEAS-Burkina is developing renewable energies through its research, action and innovation Department partly in providing processing equipment for local products, including dryers and solar water heaters, and partly in implementing renewable energy promotion projects in rural areas.
What are the CEAS-Burkina NGO achievements in its major action area?
Its major action includes the solar dryer promotion project for fish in Bagré (Central East of Burkina Faso) which has just ended. The project included two phases. The first phase consisted in making people aware of the solar dryer and in promoting it. The second phase enabled the women to have about ten dryers, receive training in the production of solar dried fish and sale techniques.
What are the renewable energy projects you are currently working on?
We currently have two renewable energy projects, including the project for support to the Promotion of Renewable Energies in Burkina Faso called « Energy for life » – which is launched in three regions of the country: the Centre-south regions, the Eastern region and the Center-east region. Launched on October 1 2014, the three-year project has enabled the establishment of a network of suppliers and promoters of improved homes in 12 villages in the three regions concerned, including 4 per region. Almost a year to achievement, the donors are already calling for the second phase. The second project focuses on « advocating for accelerating the implementation of regional clean energy policies in West Africa » especially for Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso during the 2016 – 2018 period.
What are the terms of financing these various projects?
The first phase of the solar dryer promotion project for fish in Bagré was financed by Sustainable energy (Denmark) for nearly 10 million, and the second phase by CEAS-Switzerland foundation. The overall cost of the « Energy for life » project is 350 million and is financed by CEAS-Switzerland. But there are also other donors such as the Switzerland Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Latitude 21, the Protestant Work of Diaconia and Development (ESP). The advocacy project has an overall cost of nearly $ 400 million for all stakeholders and $ 50 million for Burkina Faso. The project is funded for 3 years by Sustainable Energy, but is also supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the CISU Climate and Environment Fund. So, all these various partners finance all our activities.
