In Niger, the rise of solar energy in the face of electricity shortages

"Here, there are no more power cuts and there are no bills to pay: everything runs on solar energy," says Elhadj Abdou happily.

On Tanimoune Boulevard, Amadou Arzika cleans large, dusty photovoltaic panels with a handkerchief. "These six will soon be delivered to a customer," says the salesman, wearing a cap on backward and a gray T-shirt.

Adamou Barmini, a resident of the capital, is categorical: "The (solar) panels are now used by everyone because of the power outages that can last up to three hours."

The turning point came in 2023, when an unprecedented energy shortage hit the country.

Neighboring Nigeria had suspended a large portion of its electricity exports as part of regional sanctions to protest the coup that overthrew civilian President Mohamed Bazoum.

According to Haoua Amadou, Niger's Minister of Energy, this disruption had caused a "30% to 50% deficit" in electricity, forcing the electricity company (Nigelec) to impose power cuts that could last for days, especially in the capital.

Nigeria has since resumed deliveries, but "is only providing 46 megawatts instead of the usual 80 megawatts," the minister laments.

Despite efforts to strengthen local production capacity, power cuts persist in Niamey.

Individuals and companies are therefore gradually turning to solar energy in this Sahelian country, one of the sunniest in the world.

"We can produce solar electricity for ten hours a day," says engineer Maman Arzika.

Abondance

"For two years, the solar market has been booming (...) demand remains strong," adds Djibril Tata, a solar equipment supplier, welcoming his "growing turnover."

"Business is going well," confirms Hilaire Houndegnon, another supplier, whose sales have "more than doubled" with 450 solar panels sold in 2024.

According to experts, the advent of very long-lasting lithium batteries and increasingly qualified personnel have fueled the growth of solar energy.

The equipment is mostly imported from China and is sold on the street.

An abundance of supply makes equipment more accessible. Solar panel prices have been halved, dropping below 50.000 CFA francs (75 euros) for the best quality equipment.

"Even with a small budget, you can power a few light bulbs, a TV, and a fan," explains Mahamadou Issa, a technician.

Set up shop in a city alleyway, Ali Amadou, a fruit vendor, has equipped himself with a tiny solar panel: "At night I light up, during the day I recharge mobile phones." He charges around 100 CFA francs (0,15 euros) for this small sideline business.

In the rest of the country, solar is also popular for powering pumps for drilling drinking water in remote rural areas.

Solar projects, funded by foreign partners such as the World Bank and Arab humanitarian organizations, also make it possible to equip schools and hospitals to refrigerate vaccines and medicines.

In 2024, Niger commissioned its first 30-megawatt solar power plant near Niamey, a project launched before the coup, notably with the support of the European Union.

And this immense Sahelian country, where the electrification rate is less than 20%, does not intend to stop there.

Solar energy is fully compatible with the sovereignist vision of the ruling junta, which wants to reduce its external dependence.

Several solar projects are therefore on the agenda, including a 19-megawatt project in Agadez (north) and a more ambitious 200-megawatt project which is under study, assures Minister Haoua Amadou.

Niger is also set to benefit from the "Desert to Power" project financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), which aims to make the Sahel the largest solar production area in the world with 10.000 megawatts of capacity.

By the 80s, Niger had already popularized locally manufactured solar water heaters, dryers, and cookers, as well as water pumps and community televisions that already ran on solar energy, via photovoltaic panels.

But this dream of all-solar technology had been abandoned due to lack of funding.