Senegal: Rural Electrification

Program Currently Inactive

Access to sustainable, reliable, and affordable electricity is a vital component for development. It affects everything from income generation to the delivery of health services. Ci-Dev is helping to expand electricity access and reduce emissions through carbon finance in rural Senegal.

The local utility will use carbon revenues from Ci-Dev to help low-income households who were previously unable to afford the fee for new grid connections. The carbon finance is funding an innovative voucher scheme, where each voucher can be redeemed by the household for the service level and connection technology that best fits their needs. The program has helped 72,000 Senegalese villagers gain access to electricity by covering a significant portion of the initial cost for connection with a cash voucher. 

The cash voucher system is accelerating the pace of connections and stabilizing the market, while the program’s unique design offers a valuable model for rural electrification efforts in other developing countries.