Uganda
Systems Strengthening to Enhance Solar Energy Use and Services in Uganda (SESEUS)
Contribution to rural electrification through solar energy
Within the framework of the SESEUS project, a low-threshold basic solar electrician training is being established at two rural vocational schools in north-eastern Uganda. Within the project period, 40 young women and men will be trained as Solar Extension Agents (SEAs) to carry out installations and maintenance of solar systems. In addition, 45 employees of the district local governments will be trained to include renewable energy and solar technology in their policy planning.
- Total volume: 160.277 €
- Duration: 15 March 2023 to 15 September 2024
- Project region: Lango Sub-Region, Northern Uganda
- Projekt partner: Action for Child Social and Economic Transformation (ACSET)
Supported by Engagement Global with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Status quo of solar energy use in the Lango sub-region
Despite the successes of our predecessor project ProREU, access to renewable energy remains very limited. In particular, ProREU impressively demonstrated that there is a great lack of technical and institutional capacity in the public and private sectors to manage solar energy systems, as well as technical skills in installation and maintenance. The map on the right shows how many of the installed PV systems in the region are no longer functioning. This is partly because there are not enough solar electricians to carry out installations and maintenance, but also because local district governments do not sufficiently integrate renewable energy and solar energy into their budgets and policies. As a result, there is not enough money for the development and maintenance of renewable technologies.
The project "Systems Strengthening to Enhance Solar Energy Use and Services in Uganda" (SESEUS) addresses these challenges and comprises three measures:
1. Training
In cooperation with two regional vocational schools, the Minakulu Vocational Technical Institute in Oyam District and the Human Technical Development Training Center in Lira District, trainers are being trained to teach the nationally recognised solar curriculum of the Nakawa Vocational Training Institute. As part of the project, the trainers will train 40 young electricians to become Solar Extension Agents (SEAs). During the three-month course, they learn how to install and maintain solar systems and then act as multipliers of the knowledge they have gained. Through internships with local private solar companies, the SEAs deepen their skills with practical experience. In order to link the SEAs in the long term, they are integrated into the existing SEA network that we established in the ProREU project.
2. Sensitisation of district local governments
In order to promote the use of renewable energies in the region in the long term, a total of 45 employees of the district local governments will be trained in the topic of renewable energies in the project. Five employees from each of the nine districts will receive training on solar technology and the planning and budgeting of renewable energies in district policy. This enables local district policy-makers to realistically and sustainably integrate the expansion of renewable energies into their work and to budget for this appropriately. Our goal is to make renewable energy an integral part of local policy, because this is the only way to advance electrification in Lango in the long term.
3. Cooperation with public and private partners
By linking private solar companies, the SEA network and the district local governments, cooperation is established between the different actors in the region. Until now, there has been no manifested cooperation between the private and public actors and civil society in the region. In this project, we are creating a space for dialogue and exchange with the aim of establishing partnerships for the joint active promotion of renewable energies and solar products and services in the Lango sub-region.
The project is implemented by the URBIS Foundation together with the Ugandan NGO Action for Child Social and Economic Transformation (ACSET) Uganda. The project is supported by Engagement Global with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
