On November 25, 2024, the SESA (Smart Energy Solutions for Africa) project convened its Third General Assembly, marking a crucial milestone in Month 38 of the 48-month project duration. This meeting gathered project partners and the project’s Advisory Board to reflect on progress, exchange insights, and strategize the path forward.

Key Highlights from the Assembly

Advisory Board Insights
The assembly commenced with remarks from Heinrich Wyes, Consultant to the European Commission (DG INTPA), and Kim Hyungju, Director of the Global Strategy Division at the Green Technology Center, Korea. They emphasized the importance of the SESA Toolbox as a resource for local communities and encouraged bolstering marketing efforts to enhance visibility. Sustainability emerged as a central theme, with a focus on expanding collaborations with other EU-funded initiatives and ensuring the replicability of SESA’s outcomes.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing
A significant portion of the meeting centered on enhancing capacity-building activities. Suggestions included: Integrating cutting-edge areas into training modules; formalizing training materials into university curricula and tracking the practical applications of knowledge gained through training.

The aim is to engage a broader audience, including local governments, practitioners, and students, while fostering partnerships with other institutions.

Supporting Accelerated Companies
Participants discussed strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of accelerated companies. This involved providing mentorship, refining business models, and improving market access through industry connections. Recognizing the challenges of engaging local governments, it was suggested that presenting robust, data-backed business models could enhance the perceived bankability of initiatives.

Major Achievements and Updates

SESA Toolbox Launch and Development
The official launch of the SESA Toolbox is slated for the fourth regional event in Marrakesh, Morocco. With 69 knowledge products now accessible, the platform offers user-friendly navigation and showcases best practices across sectors such as solar PV, clean cooking, e-mobility, rural internet access, and smart microgrids.

Capacity Building Progress
The assembly celebrated the success of capacity-building initiatives with over 166 individuals trained in Ghana and Rwanda, E-learning modules on Solar PV, Waste-to-Energy, and E-Mobility available on the NUA Campus and SESA YouTube channel.

Additionally, peer-to-peer exchanges and site visits have strengthened cross-border knowledge sharing, with municipal stakeholders addressing barriers in energy technology adoption.

Demo-site and Living Labs: Catalysts for Innovation

SESA’s demo-site in Kenya has delivered impactful results, highlighting the potential of sustainable energy solutions when tailored to local needs. In Kenya, the demo-site showcased the value of user-centered approaches, where customization, community co-creation, and awareness campaigns drove widespread acceptance of clean energy technologies. Flexible business models and modular, durable systems also enhanced long-term sustainability, ensuring these solutions remain relevant and resilient.

In Ghana, the Solar PV projects demonstrated that standalone systems are more straightforward to deploy and monetize than microgrids, especially in urban markets where high-capacity solutions are preferred. The use of optimized designs and hybrid revenue models (direct sales and flexible subscriptions) helped achieve greater financial returns. Meanwhile, the bioethanol fuel and stove initiative refined stove designs to enhance usability and efficiency, addressing early adoption challenges and setting the stage for broader market uptake through policy advocacy and consumer education.

Malawi’s Living Lab made significant progress with its MIG Biocooker and briquetting initiatives. The Biocooker benefited from extensive user feedback, resulting in more efficient prototypes that met strict emission standards. Briquettes produced from agricultural waste received positive feedback for their clean burn and lasting heat, even though affordability remains a challenge. Ongoing efforts are focused on stabilizing raw material supply chains and exploring subsidies to lower costs.

South Africa’s Living Lab successfully engaged the local community, proving that even economically vulnerable groups will pay for services that meet essential needs. Education, local champions, and pilot phases offering discounted services played a crucial role in fostering trust and adoption. This approach has laid the groundwork for a scalable, community-driven model.

Morocco’s Living Lab advanced e-mobility and solar PV mini-grid solutions, overcoming regulatory and operational hurdles through strong partnerships with public and private stakeholders. Early pilot demonstrations validated the concepts, demonstrating that well-designed projects can attract investment and gain community support, regardless of economic status.

Strengthening the SESA Ecosystem

The General Assembly also outlined key steps to ensure the replication and scalability of the project. One major initiative involves developing policy roadmaps to support sustainable energy technologies across countries, providing a clear framework for future implementation. Another critical effort is the internal projects to receive pre-feasibility studies, which will help refine and advance their potential. Additionally, the consortium emphasized the importance of mapping financial institutions and other networks to secure diverse funding streams, ensuring long-term sustainability and growth for these innovative solutions.

Conclusion

The Third General Assembly reinforced SESA’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions through innovation, capacity building, and strategic partnerships. With just ten months remaining, the focus is on ensuring that the project’s impact extends beyond its duration, creating lasting change in local communities and contributing to global sustainable energy practices.