Green Solutions

By+liu+Jian

The 22nd Conference of the Parties （COP22） to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Marrakech， Morocco was dubbed the“COP of action，” but it was also the “COP for Africa，”providing the opportunity for the continent to lead the way in renewable energy development to fight climate change.

At the Africa Renewable Energy Forum， a side meeting of COP22， that took place in November， decision-makers， experts and investors discussed the opportunities for the development and deployment of renewable energy solutions across the continent， as well as the future mechanisms that will allow the private sector to drive the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

In fact， some African entrepreneurs have already seen the opportunities and they are keen to accelerate this call for action. These nimble movers and shakers have launched sustainable projects， worked on technology development and capacity building. They are committed to use clean energy to tackle the problem of energy poverty in Africa， as well as fight pollution on the continent.

Solar solution provider

One of the speakers at the forum， Samba Bathily， a 45-year-old Malian entrepreneur， is such a man on a mission. Bathily is dedicated to develop sustainable clean energy and provide solar solutions in Africa. Two years ago he co-founded Solektra International， with Senegalese-American international music star Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam， better known as Akon， and Senegalese-American youth leader Thione Niang. The company has since launched Akon Lighting Africa， an initiative that promotes awareness and usage of innovative solar solutions to provide villages throughout Africa with access to clean electricity， according to Bathily.

“Africa has almost 300 days sunshine a year， so the continent is perfectly suited to the development of solar power，” he said， adding that according to the International Energy Agency， 635 million Africans still do not have access to electricity.

“Its an opportunity. Solar energy is the fastest solution to tackle the problem of energy poverty in Africa，”he told ChinAfrica. His hope is that using clean energy such as solar will also help better protect the environ- ment in the long term.

To date， the solar street lamp business， by way of government contracts and tenders， has been the companys main business. According to the statistics from the initiatives website， 100，000 solar street lamps have been installed across 480 communities in 15 countries across the African continent， creating 5，500 indirect jobs.

Pollution buster

In line with Bathilys efforts in developing sustainable clean energy to protect the environment in Africa in the long run， Moussa Magassouba， a 36-year-old Guinean entrepreneur is committed to tackle the environmental pollution problem in Guinea.

Six years ago， he returned home from the United States after studying geology for four years. Unlike some of his contemporaries who chose to stay in the United States because of higher salaries， Magassouba started his own company， M&M Commodity SARL， a Guinean investment， consulting and commodity trading company.

“Some people complain about underdeveloped countries， but when I see underdeveloped countries， I see opportunities，” he said， adding that he was not afraid to leave his comfort zone. One of those opportunities has a personal connection very close to Magassoubas heart and thats the state of the countrys environment.

He first became interested in environmental issues and renewable energy in 2011 when he encountered serious environmental pollution in Siguiri， a city in northeast Guinea， birthplace of his parents.

Siguiri is the countrys major gold mining area， and over time a prolonged gold rush has devastated the environment because of the improper mining methods and dangerous chemicals in the gold extraction process， such as cyanide， Magassouba told ChinAfrica.

One of these mining methods used is dredging with locally built barges that pollute the rivers with their oil and fuel leaks. The fuel finds its way into the river， destroying the fragile ecosystem.

In addition， the soil in areas used for agriculture and farming has also been damaged. Now he is looking for partners who have the skills and technology to fight environmental pollution in Guinea and help repair the environment.

“Finding out the solution to the environmental problems in Siguiri will be my starting point， and my vision and dream is to extend the solution to other places in Guinea that have the same problems，” said Magassouba.

Golden opportunities

For businesspeople like Magassouba， Africa is a gold mine of opportunities. “People [Africans who have studied abroad] are scared to come back to Africa because of the lack of electricity and improper infrastructures， but I see money in all these things，” he told ChinAfrica.

In his eyes， the business opportunities are endless in Africa right now， and it will be the next billionaire incubator in the world. “I dont think there is a continent with so many opportunities like Africa. So I dont want to be a businessman who misses that opportunity，” he said.

While Bathily echoed Magassoubas optimistic sentiment， he also believes resources are needed. “Africa can drive the future global economy， as long as we give this continent， immensely rich in natural and financial resources as well as in talent and creativity， the means for development，” he said.

For him， the solar industry can provide a threepronged solution， bringing energy to Africa， resolving the job problem and addressing the environment issue.

Investing in human capital

Among the important requirements needed right now， according to Bathily， are skills， expertise and technical know-how. He says a major challenge in developing solar energy in Africa is to find good human resources.

With 70 percent of its population aged under 30， Africa is the continent with the youngest population today， according to a fact sheet prepared by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Program on Youth. And one of the biggest challenges it faces is training and creating sustainable employment.

“We need hundreds and thousands of good skilled engineers and technicians， because solar [energy] needs a lot of maintenance，” he said. “Thats a key element for capacity building.”

So more than just investing in clean energy， he has also been investing in human capital. Last year， he and his two co-founders established a solar academy to develop skills and expertise in the solar sector in Africa， in collaboration with European experts who supplied training equipment and programs.

Partnering with China

For Magassouba， the Chinese story is a success story， and China should be a model for Africa. “China can be an inspiration for African countries to remove themselves from poverty，” he said.

Several decades ago， China was almost in the same situation as Africa， he said， but with discipline and hard work， China was able to pull itself out of poverty to become the second largest economy in the world.

“If China did it， there is no reason Africa cannot do it，”said Magassouba， adding that African countries can learn from the Chinese success stories as well as mistakes， as China has gone through the same thing that Africa is going through now.

Bathily agrees， saying working with Chinese will bring funding， technology know-how and expertise.

Looking ahead， Magassouba believes that when China and Africa come together， the right formula for collaboration must be a win-win arrangement for both for sustainability in the relationship. “China and Africa need to bind together to accelerate each others development and help find solutions to our problems，” he said.