Namibia

Renewable energy powered rural business support centers (ICTs) for small rural enterprises and communities in off grid regions

A lack of reliable energy services, coupled with poor communication, hampers both social and economic development in remote rural areas. In an effort to address this problem, a number of parties have begun to establish rural telecentres based on energy services provided by renewable energy technologies (RETs). However, these telecentres often are not designed with income-generating opportunities in mind and they are hence not always sustainable.

By taking a holistic approach, a long-term sustainability component could be included as an integral part of the telecentres, by:

• focusing on the entrepreneurial sector,
• concentrating on the provision of commercial ICT and information services based on RETs and
• using a solid business plan with proper local ownership

The immediate objective of the project is to support the introduction of renewable energy (mainly solar PV) powered ICTs and the socio-economic potential of the services they can provide in rural Mozambique. The successful outcome of the project and its replication will pave the way to a meaningful contribution to the attainment of the long-term development goal of alleviating poverty and raise socio-economic living standards in rural Mozambique as well as other developing countries.