“Everyone has a story to tell about the darkness,” said Saleban Mohamed Ismail, a resident of Diri-maraa village in Ugaas Madow in Somaliland, enjoying the glow of newly installed solar streetlights.

Portable, solar-powered irrigation helps small farms reduce hunger caused by climate change. Each irrigation kit rotates among community members. Participating families pay $.50 per hour when borrowing the irrigation system, which is then used by the group collectively for maintenance.

The REACT SSA Somalia program aims to catalyze the private sector to increase the supply of cleaner fuels, raise awareness of the dangers of indoor air pollution, while promoting clean energy technologies.

Somalia lacks a national power grid and relies on imported fuel and wood and charcoal for its energy needs. But energy experts say with the longest coastline in mainland Africa and an average of 10 hours of sunshine per day, Somalia has great potential for onshore wind and solar power.

As of April 2021, the citywide power grid supplying the city of Berbera, home to the largest port in the area, is being monitored and controlled using DHYBRID microgrid technology.

Some of the inputs that the project provided to participants included: ten solar chest refrigerators, co-shared in groups to reach 40 households.

Since these 3 solar power-based oxygen stations were installed, between 8 February and 30 March, 45 patients with different medical conditions received medical oxygen from these stations. Among these, 30 were children. Forty-two patients were discharged as cured.

The programme targets private sector companies and microfinance institutions that are commercially active. This programme aims to enable 300,000 people access clean energy and create jobs for both youth and women.