This is the initiative that brings hope and quality of life to the most remote corners of the country. It embodies a higher goal: to reduce the gaps in access to electricity throughout Cameroon, through safe and sustainable solutions, in the shortest possible time. This implies a sense of urgency and effort to address this need that is so fundamental to modern life and yet still unresolved for thousands of Cameroonian families.

Presently, many homes and areas of Cameroon still lack electricity, or at least the secure means to guarantee a long-term electrification system. Thus, for any project, large or small, the first step is to identify households without access to electricity or with partial access to electricity.

Electricity helps to guarantee multiple rights: to development, education, health. For this reason, and as a complement to the research that has focused on water and telephone services in rural areas, SOFITRA INTERNATIONAL is concerned about getting the job done well and on time.

The solution to a growing problem

The problem of access to electricity is basically a problem of rural electrification. 85% of people without access to electricity live in rural areas. There are a number of possible solutions to this problem:

• Extension of networks;
• Micro-grids;
• Micro renewable electricity systems.

These three forms of electrification are alternative and complementary solutions: while grids are the most advantageous technical form, it is not always economically possible due to the specific circumstances of the area: dispersion and low consumption of dwellings, complicated orography, complex environment, excessive distance from production centres. Fortunately, SOFITRA INTERNATIONAL does not shy away from any difficulty.

Rural electrification projects must be accompanied by a global strategy, specific to each reality, which not only envisages connection to the service, but also leads to the productive use of energy for the benefit of the community. It is only in this way that we will contribute to making the desire of citizens a reality: rights and development for all.