Côte d'Ivoire: Solar Kits for Health Centers

In 2022, the electrification rate in rural areas of Côte d'Ivoire was 42%, significantly higher than the regional average but still insufficient to meet all urgent energy needs, particularly for health centers and other critical facilities.

To support the Ivorian Ministry of Health, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) announced on August 26 that it is acquiring solar equipment to provide renewable electricity to more than 160 health centers in the country's rural areas.

With $16 million in funding from the World Bank, UNOPS will purchase and deliver over 300 solar kits, more than 300 hybrid inverters, and over 3,300 solar streetlights to help modernize the health centers.

"The solar equipment will power the lights and essential equipment needed by healthcare professionals to perform their duties, thereby improving access to health services for people living in rural areas," said Jakob Tuborgh, Director of the UNOPS Multi-Country Office in Senegal.

As highlighted in the report titled Energizing Health: Accelerating Electricity Access in Health-Care Facilities, it is estimated that nearly one billion people in low and lower-middle-income countries are served by health facilities that either lack reliable electricity supply or have no access to electricity at all.

Source : agence ecofin