Lighting Up the Unreachable: Togo’s Remarkable Journey to Electrify Even the Most Remote Villages

Togo continues its race towards universal access to electrification. The government is increasing its efforts to ensure universal electricity supply to its populations, even those living in the most remote villages.

Statistical data from the Ministry of Energy shows that around four-fifths of urban areas now have access to electricity, while only one in ten rural areas was electrified until a few years ago in Togo.

Faced with this unequal distribution, the government has therefore set itself the objective of guaranteeing universal access to electricity by 2030. In order to achieve this, it has committed to a specific number of inclusive programs and initiatives.

Construction of power plants

To end permanent load shedding, Togo established the ContourGlobal thermal power plant in 2010, which operates with HFO, diesel and natural gas fuels. It has a capacity of 100 MW and contributes significantly to reducing power cuts in the country.

Later, in 2021, the Kékéli Efficient Power plant was commissioned to add to the installed capacity in the country. With an expandable production capacity of 65 MW, the facility ultimately produces 532 GWh annually to supply more than 250,000 Togolese households, or more than 1.5 million people.

The Blitta solar power plant was established in June 2021. With an initial capacity of 30 MWp, it contains 5,000 solar plates and produces approximately 90,255 MWh of energy per year. It is built to serve approximately 158,333 households. Furthermore, Togo plans to acquire 2 new solar power stations: one in Salimde and the other in Awandjélo.

Implementation of the rural electrification project in 317 areas

Initiated in 2019 by the government, this project aims to electrify 317 areas by building small solar networks. The 317 villages to be electrified are home to 900,000 people in the Savanes, Kara, Plateaux, central and maritime regions.

In detail, this project includes the development, co-financing, construction and maintenance of solar mini-grids and distribution networks. It also considers the distribution and marketing of electrical energy to customers as well as the transfer at the end of the licence.

The rural electrification initiative using solar kits called Cizo

With the support of the Head of State, Cizo is a program that provides access to electrification by supplying individual solar kits at affordable costs. The aim of this program is to electrify 200,000 homes by 2025 using solar kits, adopting a pricing model that allows users to pay according to their use.

According to statistics, between 2017 and June 2023, this program made it possible to distribute 134,431 solar packages throughout the territory. Cizo has a major impact on agriculture in rural areas by simplifying the irrigation process through the use of solar panels.

Tinga fund implementation

Officially launched in April 2022, the Tinga fund is a project that facilitates access to electricity for households. In fact, households only have to pay 1,000 CFA francs as entry fees, instead of the usual 100,000 francs.

The balance is paid over a period of 10 years, depending on the household’s income. Since its implementation, the Tinga fund has already reached almost 300,000 people by being gradually used across the entire territory.

Times Togo, Information in real time