Complexe Scolaire Baraka is a technical college located in Bobo-Dioulasso in the South-West of Burkina Faso. The institution had 410 students in 2017 in various courses including masonry, electricity, metal works, hair dressing, and tailoring. About 26% of the students are women and only 2% of the students taking electricity as a major are female.
The college was started in 2005 and in 2017 employed a total of 14 people; four of those being women.
Through the project, "Enabling Burkinabe SMEs to start solar energy production" implemented by Stitching Woord en Daad and the Christian Relief and Development Organization (CREDO) the college benefitted from the installation of a solar energy system in 2016 to supply the electricity in the college at a cost of CFA 14million (USD 25,000). The system comprises of 24 panels and 24 batteries and a corresponding inverter. Each panel supplies about 250 watts monthly. The payback period is about 9 years (cost CFA 900,000 where the monthly electricity bill usually costs CFA 9,000). Students taking electricity are trained in solar energy installation. As a result of the training, a mango processing factory and a textile factory expressed interest in installing solar energy with support from the grantee. The project is one of the SWITCH Africa Green programmes in Burkina Faso and promoted the use and production of solar energy by Micro, small, and medium sized enterprises in Burkina Faso.
The Complexe Scolaire Baraka had a 10.25 kW solar system installed as a model to support the training of the students and motivate other Small and Medium Enterprises to do the same.
As a result of the project, there was a reduction in the consumption of electricity, which increased the consumption of renewable energy. There was a marked reduction therefore of electricity bills by 30%. At the start, bills averaged FCFA 800,000 per month, dropping to a low of FCFA 500,000.
The college saves CFA 3,600,000 annually on electricity bills, which has increased benefits for the enterprise. Parents and students of the school now have renewed trust and more parents are now ready to send their children to the school. Solar energy has been found to be a sustainable business strategy to effectively increase the school’s performance.
Through the project, local electricians were trained to install solar systems and maintain them. These trainees went ahead to form the Solar Energy Professionals in Burkina Faso. The association functions as a group and if one person gets more work than he can handle then they share among themselves. They also keep themselves updated in developments on solar technology. Their earnings have increased from this new skill as a result of this cooperation.
The project enabled local electricians such as Sansan Ferdinand to be trained as part of the solar energy professionals with the college promoting the solar sector in the education system in Burkina Faso. They were trained to install solar systems and maintain them. These trainees went ahead to form this association. They function as a group and if one person gets more work than he can handle then they share among themselves. They also keep themselves updated in developments on solar. Their earnings have increased form this new skill
“Our association was started with the support of SWITCH Africa Green,” says Ferdinand the president of the Association of Solar Professionals in Bobo-Dioulasso. “We are partners with Baraka et CREDO and thanks to CREDO, SWITCH Africa Green financed us to take a course on solar energy and after the course we created an association”
Power black outs; common in many rural areas, are the biggest motivation for installation of alternative energy.
“Before SWITCH Africa Green, I was just an electrician,” Ferdinand adds thoughtfully. “I was not dealing with solar energy. After SWITCH Africa Green training I started doing solar energy. We even trained up to 100 people to work with solar energy. Thank you to the training with Jean Bousseur, thank you SWITCH Africa Green, thank you very much.”
