Double award for Practical Action in West Africa

A project which has improved money-making opportunities for thousands of farmers in Burkina Faso has been recognised for its innovative approach and potential to impact many more people.

It was one of two awards Practical Action won at a conference on sustainable energy in Cote d’Ivoire.

The awards celebrate and recognise exceptional work which promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy and which contribute to clean energy transition at the national and regional levels.

Practical Action’s programme in Burkina Faso, was chosen because it demonstrates the power of energy to drive greater production, reduce post-harvest loses,  and increase income in agriculture.

The project is known as Renewable Energy for Agricultural Livelihoods in Burkina Faso (REAL BF) and has been operating in the south and centre of the country – in a region struggling to adapt to climate change and unpredictable rainfall.

More than 7,000 people can now use water from solar pumps to improve yields, create energy from biodigesters and use communal stoves and a solar refrigeration system to process food and stop it from deteriorating.

Our energy expert, Kadija Simboro who helped lead the programme in Burkina, was also recognised with an award.

Kadija was named the Young Project Developer in sustainable energy of the year. This award was for people aged 35 or under who are promoting the development of the sustainable energy industry.

She said: “I am honoured the work with communities in Burkina Faso, and that of my colleagues, has been singled out as having the potential to benefit so many more people.

“The REAL pilot programme in Burkina Faso has laid solid foundations, and our ambition is to extend this model to other countries.

“This award is a recognition of our efforts and confirms that we are on the right track to making a lasting impact on the lives of rural communities through renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“This recognition strengthens our determination to extend our actions across other countries in Africa. With the right support and resources, we are convinced that the REAL model and approach can bring about significant positive change across the region.

When I recently visited one of REAL BF’s beneficiary cooperatives in Komki Ipala, I was thrilled to see the positive changes in their fields.”

“The president of the cooperative, Habibou shared with me how Practical Action’s support and the introduction of solar energy have transformed their lives.

“He said: ‘Before the support of Practical Action, we faced significant challenges, particularly a lack of water, which restricted our production. Today, we have constant access to water for our crops, and this has revolutionized our productivity. We have been able to diversify our crops to meet the needs of local households, with several production cycles each year. As a result, members’ incomes have increased significantly. We can now proudly contribute to our families’ expenses and our children’s education.’

“Our work shows that with the right approach and by combining modern, renewable energy with good agricultural practices, it is possible to increase production, improve farmers’ incomes and provide people with the food they need.”

The awards were received at ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2024) in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

The work in Burkina Faso was a three-year programme, funded by the Swedish International Development Agency.  You can read more about the project, and why it is so important, here