Picture a town in the Sahel region and a young woman named Sara. Despite hailing from a marginalised rural community, Sara had the opportunity to become the first in her family to complete high school and subsequently earn a bachelor’s degree, made possible through government subsidy programmes.

Upon completing her studies, Sara quickly secured a position as a human resources officer in a local medium-sized company specialised in meat processing.

Several years prior to this, a large solar park had been installed near the town where Sara resides. The solar energy from the park now powers the village of Sara’s upbringing, marking a historic milestone as the community has access to electricity for the very first time.

The solar park boasts a remarkable ability to store power, made possible by batteries manufactured in Southern Africa using critical minerals from Eastern Africa.

Products travel across borders with ease, all thanks to a continental free trade area. As a result, power outages are now a thing of the past and it is possible to effectively maintain cold chains.