With 80 percent of its population without electricity, Burkina Faso is lagging behind, which is largely hampering its economic and social development. For the low-income population, whose GDP per capita stands at USD 893 in 2021, access to energy remains too expensive. Unemployment among young people and women is high. Essentially agricultural, the country is suffering a double whammy, overwhelmed by the effects of climate change, to which is added persistent political instability.

To begin its take-off, access to clean, safe and affordable energy is a prerequisite. Burkina Faso is therefore aiming for a national electrification rate of at least 50 percent in 2025-2030, by taking advantage of the abundant solar resource throughout the territory and promoting the creation of green jobs.

To support the priorities of Burkina Faso, UNCDF as part of the CE4PR project, with financial support from Luxembourg (3.2 million euros), set up the Renewable Energy Fund for Resilience in Burkina Faso at the end of 2019 (RRIF-BF); an innovative program, which will end in December 2023. Its objective: to support the development of energy service companies (ESCOs) in Burkina Faso and more broadly the ecosystem of the renewable energy sector, with a view to creating income-generating activities for the most vulnerable populations, women, young people, displaced people, small farmers, micro-entrepreneurs.

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