Mali embraces solar power for rural areas but the challenges are still vast
KARAN, Mali (AP) — A solar power plant in this rural corner of Mali has jolted a village to life and awakened dreams of steady power in other areas of this West African nation as it sees unprecedented growth in renewable energy.
The border village of Karan and its 3,000 people used to go days without electricity. Now, enough power is available around the clock to run small video gaming centers and boost commercial activities.
The electricity comes from a mini-grid of dozens of panels and storage batteries operated by WeLight, a Madagascan rural electrification startup, since 2021.
'Before the solar power came to the village, I ran my bakery with a generator,' said Samba Diakité. Running the diesel-powered generator used to cost $100 a day. He said he now saves more than half of that amount and has a daily income of $124.
But experts say the rest of Mali — and much of West Africa — has a long way to go before seeing similar progress. Many rural areas remain without electricity, affecting everything from students' evening homework to business investment.
Only 53% of Mali's population had access to electricity as of 2021, according to the latest data from the World Bank. In rural areas, access is as low as 25%, according to Abdoulaye Makan Sissoko, an official with Mali's rural electrification agency.
Studies have shown that achieving universal access to electricity in Mali would require an investment of around $1.3 billion to extend networks and create more mini-grids, Sissoko said.
Solar power is a recent development in the country. The government is encouraging the use of it by exempting equipment from customs duties and promising to subsidize the price of solar kits. Without such subsidies, solar energy in Mali is about twice the price of the traditional fossil fuel energy used in cities.
For now, people pay a subscription ranging from $30 to $164 for a meter and pay about $0.50 per kilowatt.
The rural electrification agency says 32 mini-solar plants like the one in Karan are in four regions in Mali's south and southwest of the country, providing power for more than 2 million people, and are run by WeLight and German-owned Africa GreenTec.
'We started with 48 connections and now we have more than 200. We had to expand our generation capacity and distribution network to meet demand,' said Brice Bado, WeLight's sales manager, speaking about Karan.
Mali's government has recognized the need for electricity. This year, it approved raising money from telephone, mobile money and alcohol sales and usage fees to boost electricity production. In March, telephone companies announced a 10% levy on telephone and internet credit top-ups and a 1% levy on mobile money cash withdrawals.
But the country's political crisis has also affected the push to expand electricity access. After two coups, the relationship between the military-run government and some foreign partners deteriorated, leading to the withdrawal of key ones.
Among them was France, which along with the European Union had a $39.5 million rural electrification project called PHARE in a startup phase. It is now cancelled.
There were also rural electrification projects financed by the Islamic Development Bank to electrify 24 villages awarded to French company Sagecom, but the military government ordered the bank to revoke the contracts and reopen the bidding process, according to Sissoko with the rural electrification agency. Now the project is being cancelled, he said.
Meanwhile, the World Bank last year suspended $60 million in financing to support Mali's state-owned energy company over a dispute with the military government about financing arrangements.
Political instability is one reason why countries in the Sahel — the arid strip south of the Sahara desert — have not been able to achieve electrification goals, along with insecurity and poor governance, said Beverly Ochieng, a security analyst with the London-based Control Risks.
Insecurity caused by extremist attacks is another challenge to expansion in Mali, especially in the north, limiting the areas where companies can safely set up solar mini-grids.
'Energy needs continue to grow at a rate of between 4 to 10%, depending on the countries, and this combination of factors makes the Sahel and Mali a difficult environment to support the development of sustainable projects," Ochieng said.
Nonetheless, the solar plant has brought some relief to Karan, one of the villages selected based on data provided by Mali's rural electrification agency.
Issa Doumbia, wearing goggles as he welded a metal door, recalled how he used to spend $16 to $23 a day on diesel for a generator but now spends $8 thanks to solar power.
'There's not much of a market to make big profits. So, I would like to see the price of electricity go down,' he said.
As night fell, trader Mah Konaré spread lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers on a table along the main road. Her business has been extended with the help of the new streetlights.
'Beyond myself, these streetlights bring security to the village," she said. 'I now feel safe when my father goes to the mosque at night.'
___
For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Iowa governor rejects GOP bill to increase regulations of Summit's carbon dioxide pipeline
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday rejected a bill that could have introduced more complications for a massive carbon-capture pipeline project routed across several Midwestern states, issuing a rare veto in the Republican-controlled statehouse. The legislation was designed by Iowa House Republicans to increase regulations of Summit Carbon Solutions' estimated $8.9 billion, 2,500-mile (4,023-kilometer) project that cuts across Iowa and already has an approved permit in the state. But the bill provoked loud opposition from members of Iowa's powerful ethanol industry, which argued the project is essential for Iowa's agricultural dominance, for farmers and for construction jobs. And it exposed a rift within the party over how to protect property rights. 'While I shared the bill's goal of protecting landowners, good policy should draw clear, careful lines. This bill doesn't,' said Reynolds, a Republican, in the explanation of her veto. 'It combines valid concerns with vague legal standards and sweeping mandates that reach far beyond their intended targets.' Despite her veto, Reynolds said she was 'committed to working with the legislature to strengthen landowner protections, modernize permitting, and respect private property.' Iowa state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican who supported the bill in the House, said Wednesday that her commitment is too little, too late. 'If she was willing to work with us on this, where in the world has she been the last three years?' Kaufmann said. 'She is clearly not siding with the constitutional rights of landowners but rather she's siding with special interests.' Summit has said it has invested nearly $175 million to enter into voluntary agreements with landowners in Iowa and more than $1 billion on the project overall. In a statement, Summit thanked the governor for a thoughtful review of the bill and said their goal is to proceed with voluntary agreements with landowners. Even with the relief from Reynolds' veto, Summit will likely have to readjust plans after South Dakota's governor signed a ban on the use of eminent domain — the government seizure of private property with compensation — to acquire land for carbon dioxide pipelines. Summit's permit application was also rejected in South Dakota. The project has permit approvals in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota but faces various court challenges. The Iowa bill would have prohibited the renewal of permits for a carbon dioxide pipeline, limited the use of such a pipeline to 25 years and significantly increased the insurance coverage requirements for the pipeline company. Those provisions would likely have made it less financially feasible for a company to build a carbon dioxide pipeline. 'We look forward to continued discussions with state leaders as we advance this important project,' Summit said Wednesday. 'At a time when farmers are facing increasing pressures, this project opens the door to new markets and helps strengthen America's energy dominance for the long term.' Rift in Republican-controlled statehouse Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley said after Reynolds' veto that he would pursue a special session to vote on an override, saying in a statement that the veto 'is a major setback for Iowa.' The Iowa Constitution states that a request for special session from two-thirds of both chambers, or the governor, can bring lawmakers back to Des Moines. Two-thirds of both chambers would need to vote for an override for the bill to become law without the governor's approval. 'We will not stop fighting and stand firm on our commitment until landowners' in Iowa are protected against Eminent Domain for private gain,' Grassley said. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver suggested that would be unlikely in his chamber. Thirteen Republican senators had joined with 14 Democrats in voting in favor of the bill, but 21 Republicans and one Democrat voted against it. 'Based on the votes on that bill in the Iowa Senate, a significant majority of our caucus supports a better policy to protect landowner rights. I expect that majority of our caucus would not be interested in any attempt to override her veto,' he said. As the legislative session wound down, a dozen Republican senators insisted their leaders bring the House-approved bill to the floor for a vote after several years of inaction. The stalemate ended in a long and divisive debate among the Iowa Senate's Republican supermajority, with senators openly criticizing one another and exposing the closed-door discussions that got them there. Summit's project and its critics The Summit pipeline was proposed to carry carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota. By lowering carbon emissions from the plants, the pipeline would lower their carbon intensity scores and make them more competitive in the renewable fuels market. The project would also allow ethanol producers and Summit to tap into federal tax credits. The pipeline's many critics have for years begged lawmakers for action. They accuse Summit of stepping on their property rights and downplaying the safety risks of building the pipeline alongside family homes, near schools and across ranches. Lee Enterprises and The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of cases that reveal the great legal lengths the company went to to get the project built. In South Dakota, in particular, a slew of eminent domain legal actions to obtain land sparked a groundswell of opposition that was closely watched by lawmakers in Iowa as well. A group of landowners released a statement Wednesday calling the veto a slap in the face. 'Big money, greed & self interest won the day,' said Jan Norris, a landowner in southwest Iowa whose neighbor is in the pipeline's route. 'Our property rights are for sale to the highest bidder.'
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Senate rejects effort to block arms sales over Trump's dealings with Qatar and UAE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have blocked an effort by Democrats to temporarily block arms sales to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in response to President Donald Trump's dealings in the region. Democrats forced two procedural votes Wednesday to protest Qatar's donation of a $400 million plane to be used as Air Force One and a $2 billion investment by a UAE-backed company using a Trump family-linked stablecoin, a form of cryptocurrency. Sen. Chris Murphy, who led the Democratic effort, said the U.S. Senate should not 'grease the wheels" for Trump. 'We can do that by voting to block these two arms sales to Qatar and to the UAE — not permanently, but until both countries commit to deny Trump's requests for personal enrichment as part of the bilateral relationship,' Murphy said. Trump's administration is still sorting out the legal arrangement for accepting a luxury jet from the Qatari royal family and how the plane would be modified so it is safe for the president, who has called the arrangement a 'no brainer' as a new Air Force One has faced delays at U.S.-based Boeing. Trump said he wouldn't fly around in the gifted Boeing 747 when his term ends, but Democrats, and even some Republicans, have strongly questioned the ethics of the arrangement. At a hearing on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to provide details on plans for his department to accept the jet. He said budgeting and schedules for security upgrades to turn the plane into the president's aircraft are classified. 'A memorandum of understanding remains to be signed,' Hegseth said. Democrats have also raised ethical questions about the Trump family's stake in World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency project that has launched its own stablecoin, USD1. Earlier this year, World Liberty announced an investment fund in the United Arab Emirates would be using $2 billion worth of USD1 to purchase a stake in Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Murphy forced the votes under a mechanism known as a joint resolution of disapproval that allows the Senate to reject arms sales. The procedural vote Wednesday blocked a Democratic motion to discharge the resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and move to an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. The effort was mostly symbolic, as the measures would have had to pass both chambers of Congress and withstand any presidential veto to become law. But Murphy said the Senate should exercise its powers to oversee arms sales around the world. "We place immense trust in the president not to abuse these incredible authorities that are given to him," he said.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Disney, Universal Slam AI Company As 'Bottomless Pit Of Plagiarism' In Scathing Lawsuit
Disney and NBCUniversal joined forces in the first lawsuit of its kind against the artificial intelligence image company Midjourney on Wednesday, accusing it of copyright infringement. 'We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content,' Kimberly Harris, NBCUniversal's executive vice president, told CNBC. The companies' lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that Midjourney sought 'to reap the rewards' of Disney and Universal-copyrighted characters by selling an AI image-generating service 'that functions as a virtual vending machine, generating endless unauthorized copies' of their copyrighted works. 'Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism,' the lawsuit reads. 'Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing.' Midjourney did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment. The AI company made $300 million last year from its image service, which allowed subscribers to simply enter a text prompt to request any of the Disney or Universal characters to perform an action, according to the lawsuit. The AI then generates and displays a high-quality image of the character. The lawsuit lists several Disney or Universal-owned characters Midjourney generated, including Shrek, Darth Vader, Thanos from the 'Avengers' series, and the Minions characters from 'Despicable Me.' Horacio Gutierrez, chief legal and compliance officer for The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement to HuffPost that Disney's 'world-class IP is built on decades of financial investment, creativity and innovation—investments only made possible by the incentives embodied in copyright law that give creators the exclusive right to profit from their works.' He added, 'We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity.' The lawsuit contends that 'Midjourney could easily stop its theft and exploitation' of intellectual property since the AI service controls what copyrighted content it selects. However, Midjourney chose not to use copyright protection measures, even when Disney and Universal sent cease-and-desist letters, according to the suit. The lawsuit accuses Midjourney of promoting its AI tools using Disney and Universal characters, and says the AI company has already begun using such characters to train its video service. The companies are now asking for a jury trial to determine damages, which could include some of Midjourney's profits. 'Midjourney's bootlegging business model and defiance of U.S copyright law are not only an attack on Disney, Universal, and the hard-working creative community that brings the magic of movies to life, but are also a broader threat to the American motion picture industry which has created millions of jobs and contributed more than $260 billion to the nation's economy,' the lawsuit reads. College Student Allegedly Created Undressed Images Of Classmates With AI, Then Sold Them Top AI CEO Warns Lawmakers To Prepare For Tech To Gut Entry-Level Office Jobs Chicago Sun-Times Faces Backlash After Promoting Fake Books In AI-Generated Summer Reading List