EMPOWER: Vol 6, Issue 4 – December 2025

Dear IEEE Smart Village Community,

As 2025 comes to an end, I want to thank each of you — our volunteers, partners, and friends — who continue to support our mission of empowering through enterprise. This year has been focused on positioning and preparation, laying the foundation for the next phase of IEEE Smart Village’s growth. As a public imperative of IEEE, our movement is building potential to bring opportunity and improved wellbeing to the hundreds of millions still outside the organization’s ambit.

Year in Review: Key Achievements

This year marked meaningful progress across multiple fronts—enterprise development, governance, marketing, and community engagement.

1. Enterprise Development and Growth

• Seed-funded seven new enterprises, each demonstrating strong social and economic potential, thereby expanding our presence across three continents.
• Resumed construction of a solar bakery and flour mill post DRC-Rwanda conflict, bringing renewed livelihood opportunities and bread to a region with half a million impoverished people.
• Resumed operation of the first solar rice mill in West Africa, to carry forward the mission and vision initiated by its late founder.
• Continued executions of enterprises already in the pipeline.
• Identified several enterprises at different stages of intake, indicating a strong and diverse pipeline for 2026.

2. Knowledge Sharing and Operational Effectiveness

• Organized two major conferences and symposia, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, and partnerships among ISV-funded entrepreneurs.
• Completed two task force assignments, while four more continue to advance critical initiatives for ISV’s strategic and operational effectiveness.

3. Marketing and Visibility

• Focused on key stakeholder engagement, improving visibility.
• Showcased ISV’s “Empowering through Enterprise” model at the June 2025 IEEE Board Series.
• Published ISV’s 15th Anniversary Brochure, highlighting our progress and impact.
• Advanced the development of a new website for enhanced storytelling and global engagement, with launch expected by year-end.

4. Governance and Leadership Development

• Recruited several senior volunteers, strengthening our leadership capacity and mentorship network.
• Drafting a new Constitution and Bylaws with the support of representatives from five key IEEE Societies —a foundational step toward a more transparent, growth-oriented, and globally representative governance model for ISV.

Looking Ahead: Vision for the New Year

As we look to 2026, we are energized by the possibilities ahead:

• Organizing five more conferences to provide collaborative opportunities in every region.
• Expanding our enterprise pipeline to deepen local ownership and cross-sector partnerships.
• Continuing to refine our governance framework, solidifying ISV’s position as a model for sustainable, community-driven development within IEEE.

Closing and Call to Action

I invite every member of our community to continue walking this journey with us—by mentoring entrepreneurs, contributing your expertise, and advocating for the integration of sustainable electricity, education, and enterprise.

Together, we are not just electrifying villages—we are powering possibility.

Warm Regards
Rajan Kapur
President
IEEE Smart Village

In the 2025 second quarter publication of the Empower Newsletter, the Rural Development Organization (RDO) was featured. RDO is a project powered by IEEE Smart Village (ISV) that has transformed lives in rural Tanzania by integrating ISV’s three pillars: growing local enterprises based on electrification, productive use of technology, and enhancing education to improve livelihoods in underserved communities.

During a recent follow-up on RDO, ISV gathered that the business has continued to grow across borders, thereby impacting and transforming the lives of Africans.

Veronica Njoroge, a 75-year-old Kenyan who lives and sells honey in Nairobi, who came in contact with RDO in 2014, said,

“I was very much impressed by how the RDO team was reaching out and supporting orphans and underprivileged groups, such as elderly grandparents of children left behind by the victims of HIV/AIDS.

RDO shaped my financial stability and well-being in many ways, to name just a few:

i. In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, when many establishments and businesses were financially affected, my students and I managed to mass-produce reusable face masks that helped me personally to be financially stable.

ii. From 2020 to 2022, we mass-produced reusable sanitary pads that helped me to get technical training contracts in many other organizations, both in Tanzania and Kenya.

iii. The long experience I had gained at RDO helped me to get a well-paying job as a pattern cutter in a garment garment-making company in Kenya.

iv. While at RDO, I participated in organizing and attending exhibitions during Annual and periodical Trade/Agricultural Fairs that enabled me to have beneficial exposures.

The memorable moment of breakthrough was when the RDO board allowed me to start a knitting unit; my students, drawn from all RDO VTCs (Vocational Training Centers), were able to learn knitting techniques using different types of machines and started mass production of school sweaters for orphaned pupils and secondary students. Also, large variety of casual knits were made and sold to cover costs.

The opportunities I had at RDO have helped me to continue with Training of Trainers programs in Kenya as a Technical Advisor with the hope of establishing an Informal Skills Training Centre for the underprivileged youths and women, especially teenage mothers who are struggling to raise their kids in the informal settlement areas in Nairobi. I am in the process of mobilizing resources.”

Although the founder of RDO, Fidelis Filipatali, in an earlier interview said RDO started as “a family project,” ISV provided the spark that RDO needed to scale its vision by birthing more businesses. This was confirmed in Marco Shayo’s words,

“My business first encountered RDO through a community-based youth empowerment program that the organization was implementing in our district. As one of the largest and most reputable development organizations in Tanzania, RDO had introduced an outreach initiative aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs and farmers. Their team visited our community to identify innovative youth with potential but limited resources. Through this engagement, I was invited to participate in their entrepreneurship and agribusiness capacity-building sessions.

This initial contact became a turning point, as it opened my eyes to new business opportunities and modern approaches to improving productivity.

RDO has significantly shaped my financial stability and overall well-being in multiple ways.

First, their training on financial literacy, business planning, and savings discipline equipped me with essential skills to manage my income more responsibly. Through their mentorship and follow-up support, I learned how to track expenses, reinvest profits, and diversify my income sources.

Secondly, RDO’s innovative approach—especially their support in agribusiness—enabled me to adopt improved farming techniques and value-addition practices. This increased the quality and quantity of my produce, which directly improved my household income.

Beyond finances, RDO enhanced my confidence, leadership skills, and social well-being by involving me in community decision-making platforms. Their inclusive programs strengthened my sense of belonging and purpose, and today I am more financially independent and better positioned to support my family.

One memorable breakthrough was when I successfully launched a small-scale agribusiness project after completing RDO’s entrepreneurship training. I had learned how to develop a viable business plan, source quality inputs, and access markets. My first harvest after applying these new practices produced yields far higher than before.

The real impact was witnessed on the day I sold my produce and realized I had earned more than any previous farming season. Community members were inspired, and some even approached me for guidance. This experience proved that RDO’s model—one that combines innovation, community engagement, and youth empowerment—truly transforms lives.

It was a moment of pride not only for me but for my entire community, as it demonstrated that development is possible when people are empowered with the right skills and support.

The lessons and opportunities I gained from RDO will continue to shape my business journey for many years. I now have a strong foundation in entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable production. The business planning skills I learned help me to project growth, manage risks, and explore new markets with confidence.

Moreover, RDO’s emphasis on creativity and community-driven development has motivated me to keep expanding my ideas, collaborate with others, and mentor fellow youth. I plan to scale up my agribusiness, introduce value-added products, and eventually create employment opportunities within my community.

RDO has not only influenced my present success but has also given me a clear vision for the future. Their mission and values continue to inspire me to be a responsible, innovative, and community-minded entrepreneur.”

Mariah Karanja, a Senior Agronomist in Kenya, who is also a direct beneficiary of RDO and ISV, in retrospect said,

“My encounter with RDO was based on a consultation on the Agronomy year 2020. The particular crop is avocado. The management did their best to ensure the training was fully executed, hence the success of the training.

The RDO community was very interested in learning more about avocado, from seed selection to management of the seeds to the field crop.

RDO has positively impacted my financial stability as I have been able to achieve my life goals, and I am still in progress. By working with RDO, I have had business opportunities as an agronomist consultant in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.

I also set up my fruit nursery, which is doing great and helping me to become financially stable. By establishing fruit farms, we eat healthy and hence have good well-being.

The training we did at Mpanga Tazara, the attendees from the community were very eager to learn, and they later sent me very organized nurseries that they learnt to set up through the training.”

The RDO Founder dreams that the NGO philosophy is adopted by villages all over the world, by turning challenges in communities into opportunities, and this is being achieved gradually as the impact of RDO has grown beyond Tanzania, the home country, to Kenya.

Abstract

Limited access to electricity and the absence of hands-on learning continue to affect student engagement in many rural Nigerian communities. This paper explores a sustainable, community-driven approach to education through the introduction of solar-powered skill acquisition hubs. These hubs are designed to operate independently of the national power supply (commonly referred to as ‘NEPA light’ in Nigeria) and blend clean, renewable energy with practical, income-generating training in areas such as tailoring, carpentry, and basic computer literacy.

Using Arondizogu in Imo State as a reference point, the model proposes integrating one-hour skill-building sessions into the daily school timetable, with intensive workshops conducted on weekends. This scheduling accommodates students with after-school responsibilities while maintaining consistent exposure to practical education. Participation is voluntary and inclusive, encouraging students to select skills based on interest rather than societal roles or physical traits.

Beyond powering classrooms, solar energy becomes a tool for empowerment, improving attendance, enhancing learning conditions, and introducing students to clean technology early.The paper argues that such hubs could transform rural education, reduce dropout rates, and foster self-reliant, tech-aware youth in underserved regions.

Introduction

In many rural parts of Nigeria, including my home community of Arondizogu in Imo State, access to quality education goes beyond just getting to school. The challenges run deeper; from the lack of electricity that hinders even the use of basic teaching tools, to outdated methods that do little to inspire or equip students for life after school.

Students in Arondizogu often learn under uncomfortable conditions, with no lights, no fans, and certainly no computers. While urban schools gradually adapt to technology and modern learning, rural communities like ours are left behind. Even more concerning is the absence of vocational education in the system. For many young people who may not have the chance to attend a university, leaving school without any practical skill makes the future feel uncertain and out of reach. This paper introduces a community-based model (solar-powered skill acquisition hubs) as a response to these realities. By combining clean energy with hands-on learning, this model aims to reignite student interest in education, introduce useful skills, and plant the seed of technological curiosity.

With Arondizogu as a case study, the goal is to propose a solution that is both practical and sustainable for communities facing similar barriers.

NB: Above is the abridged version of Chinaemerem Eziaha Okolie’s paper titled ‘Solar-Powered Skill Hubs: A New Pathway to Learning and Empowerment in Underserved Communities’, which emerged as First Place in the ISV Student Paper Competition 2025 (Undergraduate Category). See the full paper here.

Abstract

Access to affordable electricity should be a right, not a privilege. Electricity enables education, expands income opportunities, and fosters development. Yet across Sub-Saharan Africa, deep energy poverty persists, and even where electricity infrastructure exists, it often remains underutilized. This paper explores the barriers to sustainable rural electrification and presents a four-pillar framework designed to ensure that electricity access not only reaches communities but is actively used in ways that drive economic and social impact. The framework includes: a viable business model (the Keymaker Model), access to local-currency capital through sukuk, appliance financing to stimulate electricity demand, and favourable government policy to reduce structural barriers. The Keymaker Model was examined in detail through field implementation in Tanzania, a model business case in Uganda, and load simulation in Nigeria. Results highlight its potential to improve load factors, reduce subsidy dependence, and stimulate rural enterprise. The paper concludes with evidence of the developmental gains that emerge when electricity enables productivity and income generation.

Introduction

Energy poverty refers to the lack of sufficient, reliable, and affordable access to electricity. It remains a significant challenge in many parts of the world, but is particularly acute in Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for over 80% of the global unelectrified population. According to World Bank data, the global electrification rate stood at 91.6% in 2021, while sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind at 53.3%. The disparity deepens in rural areas where 57% of the region’s population resides, yet only 30.4% have access to electricity.

This gap has serious implications for human development as electricity is a critical enabler of health services, education, and income-generating activities. However, extending grid infrastructure to rural areas is often cost-prohibitive, with per-connection costs ranging between $500 and $4,000, driven by low population density and high infrastructure demands.

To address this, mini-grids have emerged as a leading off- grid solution. But despite their potential, many systems face persistent challenges including low electricity consumption, fixed tariffs that limit cost recovery, and regulatory constraints. These issues undermine the financial viability of mini-grids and limit the developmental impact that electrification is meant to achieve.

NB: Above is the abridged version of Abdulrahman Akintunde’s paper titled ‘A Sustainable Framework for Rural Electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa’, which emerged as Second Place in the ISV Student Paper Competition 2025 (Undergraduate Category). See the full paper here.

Abstract

More than 600 million people in Africa lack electricity access, with traditional grid extension proving economically infeasible for rural areas. Circular minigrids offer a scalable solution by integrating second-life electric vehicle batteries and power modules, reducing system costs by up to 31% and improving energy reliability. Based on more than 100 documented deployments and case studies in South Africa, Tanzania, and Rwanda, repurposed EV components lower the levelized cost of energy, achieve private investment grade returns, and enable productive community uses. These circular mini-grids offer a viable path to accelerate universal access, strengthen rural economies, and support sustainable development goals in Africa.

Introduction

Africa is experiencing a growing energy crisis that poses challenges to sustainable development on the continent. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 600 million people currently lack access to electricity, this number increasing as population growth surpasses infrastructure development, with rural electrification only 28% compared to 71% in urban areas. This population is projected to experience significant growth, with an expected increase of 350 million people by 2030. This demographic shift will result in one of the world’s youngest workforces, with the majority under the age of 30.

Demographic change creates the need to develop plans that address the needs of this young urbanizing population. Several nations as shown below including South Sudan, Burundi, and Chad, have the lowest national access rates, creating a significant development gap that maintains cycles of poverty and restricts economic opportunities.

The scale of addressing energy access in Africa presents an unprecedented challenge in global development. Based on current electrification rates, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 660 million people worldwide, the majority of whom are Africans, will still lack electricity access by 2030,fundamentally affecting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7. This energy access deficit creates multiple chain effects in the development dimensions.Without reliable electricity, children cannot study after dark, healthcare facilities cannot properly power vaccine fridges and medical equipment, and productive activities remain limited to daylight hours and manual processes.

Traditional electrification approaches have proven economically impractical for distributing rural populations. Rural grid extension costs are average $1,300 per connection, and communities with fewer than 100 households per square kilometer face payback periods that exceed 50 years]. These economic realities create fundamental market failures, making it impossible for commercially viable electrification models to develop under conventional infrastructure approaches. Furthermore, even in areas with existing grid connections, service quality is inadequate, with national utilities in many African countries providing only 4-8 hours of daily electricity, forcing communities to rely on expensive and polluting alternative energy sources as shown below:

Minigrids, which are decentralized solar systems that typically serve hundreds of people, present technical solutions while facing significant economic obstacles. Although these systems have been identified as the least cost electrification option for 220 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, they typically generate returns of only 5-6%, falling short of the 10-12% needed to attract private investment. This profitability gap arises from three main challenges, including the low population density of less than 250 people per square kilometer in the target areas, limited disposable income with rural per capita earnings of approximately $2 daily, and insufficient productive electricity demand to support cost-reflective tariffs.

The investment requirements for universal access to energy present significant challenges. According to estimates from the World Bank, achieving universal access to energy requires the deployment of 217,000 mini-grids by 2030, which requires $127 billion in capital investment. With only 3,100 commercial minigrids currently operating across the continent, there is a huge scaling gap that requires drastic improvements in project economics. Traditional approaches cannot close this viability gap without implementing massive subsidies. 19% of the world’s population resides in Africa, but Africa only accounts for 3.1% of global electricity demand. 54% of Africa’s energy needs came from clean sources between 2020 and 2024. To increase access to clean energy, minigrids are a critical component. In 2022, the total capacity of mini-grids in Africa was 2 GW, the highest globally, followed by the US and Canada with 1.8 GW. In 2023, more than 3000 mini-grids were installed in Africa, with projections that this would increase to 12,000 mini-grids by 2030 to serve 46 million more people at the current pace of development.

Emerging technological trends are creating new opportunities to address economic constraints. Global electric vehicle (EV) sales exceeded 17 million units in 2024 and are expected to reach 45 million by 2030, producing a large supply of second-life batteries (SLBs) that maintain 70-80% of their original capacity after automotive use. The combination of falling solar panel costs and improvements in power electronics is creating favorable conditions that could significantly reduce deployment costs through innovative system architectures.
This paper examines circular minigrids that apply circular economy principles to transform energy access economics while improving development outcomes. The approach focuses on integrating second-life electric vehicle batteries and power electronics, using modular system designs, and creating business models that emphasize the development of productive use. These circular mini-grids aim to achieve cost reductions and financial returns that enable private sector scaling. The research shows how the waste of the transition from developed countries’ technology can become value chains that support African development, creating beneficial outcomes that address both environmental sustainability and energy access goals.

NB: Above is the abridged version of Akabway Rurangwa and Iyata Adikpe’s paper titled ‘Circular Minigrids: Advancing Sustainable Energy Access in Africa with Second-Life EV Batteries and Power Modules’, which emerged as First Place in ISV Student Paper Competition 2025 (Postgraduate Category). See the full paper here.

Abstract

Africa stands at a pivotal crossroads in its energy journey. While the global clean energy movement accelerates, Africa’s role has largely been framed as passive: a recipient of technologies, policies, and capital designed elsewhere. This paper challenges that narrative, arguing that Africa must shift from the margins to the center of its energy future through justice based, locally led, and context specific transitions. By tracing the legacy of energy colonialism and its structural effects, we highlight how current power systems reproduce inequity. We explore grassroots innovations, inclusive business models, and policy shifts that demonstrate Africa’s potential to lead a new paradigm, one where energy access, climate action, and community empowerment are inseparable. With examples like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Smart Village, the African Development Bank’s Desert to Power, and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, we propose pathways for an energy transition that is not only clean but just, sovereign, and Afrocentric.

Introduction

Access to sustainable energy in Africa is not merely a technological challenge, it is a matter of equity, opportunity, and survival. As of 2025, over 600 million Africans still lack reliable access to electricity, with the majority living in sub-Saharan Africa. Even in electrified zones, frequent blackouts hamper industrial growth, educational continuity, and essential healthcare services. This stark reality continues to hinder Africa’s development despite the continent’s immense renewable energy potential. Africa holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources and vast reserves of wind, hydro, and geothermal energy. Yet, it attracts only 3% of global energy investment. Harnessing this potential requires innovative solutions tailored to Africa’s diverse contexts, a challenge that resonates deeply with my own aspirations to drive change through sustainable energy. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology, already the cheapest power source in many parts of Africa, is expected to dominate the continent’s energy future.

As an aspiring electrical engineer and advocate for equitable energy access, I believe that sustainable energy must serve both rural and urban Africa. In rural areas, mini-grids, solar containers, biomass pellets, and electric mobility solutions like ebikes can power agriculture, health clinics, and small enterprises. In urban settings, smart grids, electric rail systems, and integrated charging hubs are crucial for efficient transport, reduced land pressure, and industrial stability. These solutions must be reinforced by strong policy frameworks, private sector incentives, and innovations in affordability, such as appliance financing and energy as a service models. The human cost of energy poverty is tangible: children studying under kerosene lamps, women walking miles for firewood, hospitals delaying care due to lack of power. Initiatives like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Smart Village and the African Development Bank (AfDB)s Desert to Power, targeting 10 GW of solar in 11 Sahel countries, underscore how energy, education, and entrepreneurship can transform underserved communities.

This paper presents a practical vision of sustainable energy tailored to Africa’s unique challenges. It argues for a dual track approach, rural innovation and urban integration, and explores how inclusive technologies and economic models can help close the electricity access gap while stimulating prosperity.

NB: Above is the abridged version of Aguebor Owenosa Favour’s paper titled ‘Clean, Just, and African: Reimagining the Continent’s Energy Transition’, which emerged as Second Place in ISV Student Paper Competition 2025 (Postgraduate Category). See the full paper here.