ENERCO: Energy and Communities

The ENERCO Senegal - Energy and Communities project, funded by La Caixa (Spanish Foundation), aimed to facilitate access to sustainable energy services for the populations of two (2) pilot villages. It consisted in providing them with Multifunctional Energy Platforms (MEPs) operating exclusively with photovoltaic energy and adapted to the specific context of each locality. Each MEP was to be used to perform productive activities that were economically profitable and improve the socio-economic conditions of the populations, especially women and young people.

The direct beneficiaries of the project in the two pilot villages were initially estimated at 242 people, 70% of whom were women. Indirect beneficiaries were estimated at more than 5,000 people.

The overall objective of the project was to increase and improve access to sustainable community energy services for the enhancement of the socio-economic conditions of the populations, especially women and youth. The aim was to meet energy needs for social and productive uses in order to:

 (i) boost local economy through processing and conservation of agricultural products; 

(ii) test and promote a model of territorial energy governance involving local authorities, within the framework of the Act 3 of decentralization.