By Esther Samson
At the Batonou health center along the Mono River, which divides Togo from Benin, nightfall is no longer a time for uncertainty and risk. Victorine Massegbe Ablavi, a nurse, midwife, and head of the Peripheral Care Unit, is now able to carry out her work in safety, thanks to solar energy.
In the past, she would have struggled to perform medical procedures in the dark, using a torch to illuminate her workspace.
But now, the room is brightly lit, all thanks to recently installed solar panels. Ablavi, once forced to use a torch between her teeth or hung around her neck, is now able to work freely and safely.
“We worked in the dark, risking cutting ourselves with sharp equipment and injuring patients. Sometimes we couldn’t find the patient’s veins when we were giving an injection. It was dangerous,” she recalls, her voice filled with emotion.
One tragic memory still haunts her. A young mother suffering from postpartum hemorrhage could not be treated effectively due to a lack of light and died during her transfer to a nearby town, Afagnan. “Today, this can no longer happen,” Ablavi asserts with conviction.
The change has come thanks to the Projet d’appui au volet social du programme CIZO d’électrification rurale (PRAVOST), an initiative in Togo designed to provide off-grid solar solutions to remote areas. Managed by the African Development Bank in partnership with the European Union and the Togolese government, PRAVOST is part of the broader “CIZO” program, aiming to supply affordable individual solar kits to over two million people and 300,000 households across Togo.
At the Batonou health center, six solar panels have been installed, bringing light to every room, a certified refrigerator for vaccines, and another to preserve maternity products. “Now that the team can see clearly, we can work properly,” says Ablavi.
So far, PRAVOST has electrified 314 health centers across Togo and has ambitious plans to expand. In addition, the project has equipped 122 centers with solar water heaters, ensuring hygiene and safe care in remote areas that previously lacked access to hot water.
For Amy Nabilou, electrical engineer at the Agence togolaise d’électrification rurale et des énergies renouvelables (AT2ER) and head of the PRAVOST project, solar energy was the ideal solution. “Solar energy is clean, renewable, and available in Togo. It meets climate challenges and is simple to deploy,” she explains.
Meanwhile, at Dieudonné Farm in the Bas-Mono municipality, Samati Mawuèma begins his day tending to his poultry and pigs, followed by growing crops like corn, onions, and solo papayas.
Before the installation of a submersible solar pump, Mawuèma struggled with the high costs of fuel for his irrigation system and unpredictable weather patterns that affected his crop yields.
Now, solar panels power a pump that fills a 5,000-liter reservoir, providing Mawuèma with water for irrigation, livestock, and household use. “I save a lot. I have no more bills to pay, no more fuel to buy. The water is there, available,” he says, smiling. The solar pump has allowed him to expand his production area by 50%, increasing his yield and creating jobs for the local community.
“It’s a way of giving back around me, and I hope I can do even more in the future,” Mawuèma adds.
The solar pump has provided more than just water—it has made his operations more resilient to climate variability, turning his farming into a more sustainable and profitable venture. Local markets such as Afagnan now have a more reliable supply of fresh produce year-round.
“Lack of access to electricity hampers economic development,” says Nabilou.
“By providing energy through solar technologies, we enable health centers to operate day and night, preserve vaccines, offer decent care to patients, and households to study, launch micro-enterprises, and feel secure. As for farmers, they can irrigate, produce more, better resist climatic hazards and thus improve their income.”
Despite the clear benefits of solar energy, Nabilou acknowledges the challenges of sustainability and maintenance in rural areas.
“One of the challenges with solar projects is sustainability and maintenance over time. We plan to support beneficiaries and train them in best practices. We stay close to the people to support them over the long term,” she emphasizes.
