“So many projects fail because, when we talk about solar parks in Africa, most of the time people think this is just about finding an empty plot of land and implementing a project. Little thought is given to how projects will be managed once built.” This is how Eugene Ikejemba summarized the study he conducted in collaboration with Peter Schuur on the lack of efficiency of solar projects in Africa generally, and in Nigeria and Ghana especially.

Both researchers established that solar projects lack efficiency because those implementing them fail to determine factors that are key to their success. Among these they are: the number of people to reach, appropriate location and relation to targeted populations or transportation of energy produced to these populations.

What led the researchers to conduct this study is the incapacity of Nigeria and Ghana to provide affordable and reliable energy to their populations despite economic growth, potential for solar energy, and multiple projects initiated in the sector.

The authors suggested that authorities should take into consideration demographic and geographic factors when implementing solar plants projects. They further go and advise the various organizations that carry out such projects to prioritize proximity alternatives like solar panels which can be installed on roofs.

Gwladys Johnson