Schneider Electric electrifies village of Pitti Gare in Cameroon

Schneider Electric, the market leader in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, has inaugurated the BipBop electrification project in the village of Pitti Gare, in the coastal region of Cameroon. The 200 villagers and several representatives of various organisations involved in the programme, were present at the event.

The solution used for the village of Pitti Gare, which is not connected to the national electricity network, is a rural electrification system using solar power – Villasol – which supplies electricity off-grid to the cassava milling machine and will eventually supply the school and clinic, as well as providing a domestic battery-charging service for the people of the village.

Jean-Marc Darboux, president of Schneider Electric International says: “Africa is capable of unrivalled technological progress. Some Africans have never owned telephone landlines but today own two mobile phones. Similarly, every new town and district should benefit from the latest Smart Grid technologies. And every rural village should have access to renewable off-grid energy without having to wait for conventional solutions to
be provided.”

The presence of many of Cameroon’s ministers and officials at the inauguration was symbolic, demonstrating the country’s political ambition to develop access to energy.

According to the French Development Agency (AFD), 95 percent of people living in rural areas in Cameroon do not have access to electricity, even though more than 45 percent of Cameroon’s population lives in rural areas.

The BipBop project aims to develop access to a reliable, affordable and clean energy supply for the people at the base of the pyramid, by combining training in energy-sector trades, investments in local SMEs and technological solutions suited to the people’s needs and resources. This approach will provide a clear improvement in the health and education sectors.

BipBop is working towards sustainable development for local communities and enterprises which will help to reduce the rural exodus.