Senegal

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News and Recent Developments

Solar cooking trainer Kiné Seck demonstrates how to use the HotPot as part of the Senegal Solar Cooking Initiative

• July 2009: Through the Senegal Solar Cooking Initiative, project partners Solar Household Energy, Inc. (SHE) and Tostan will train and equip 2,000 families with HotPot solar cookers. Dozens of villages are participating in the project, and are sending groups of three representatives to be trained. A point person from each village is selected, and is responsible for conducting local demonstrations, distributing HotPots, answering questions, and offering advice. A regional trainer offers further support as needed. Foods that are solar cooked at the demonstrations include fish, rice, beans, millet porridge, and cakes. By mid-2008, 1,000 HotPots had been distributed in the Thies region and 350 in the Kaolack region. The remaining HotPots are slated for the Touba region.

Large, sturdy solar box cookers manufactured by local craftsman are being distributed in Mékhé

• July 2009: Through a partnership with GEN Senegal, the Association pour la promotion des femmes de Mékhé (ASPROFEM) is implementing a two-year solar cooker project in the Mékhé districts of MBambara, Lébou and Ndiop. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).The goal of the project is to help preserve trees through the use of solar energy as an alternative to firewood. With the help of several local craftsmen, solar cookers will be manufacturer in each of the three districts under the direction of cooker designer Abdoulaye Toure. Each district will have approximately 10 trainers to raise awareness in the community, teach solar cooking skills, and distribute solar cookers. One hundred solar cookers were distributed in Ndiop during the pilot phase of the project. The second phase of the project began last year and runs through the end of 2009.

• November 2008: The Senegalese Ministry of Biofuels and Renewable Energy is entering into an agreement with Solar Household Energy to produce and sell solar cookers locally. "We hope to make solar stoves available in all 11 regions of Senegal," said Abdoulaye Touré, solar energy specialist at the ministry. More information...

• July 2007: In Senegal and Burkina Faso, people are finding many ways that the HotPot can improve their daily lives. Currently 220 men and women in Senegal and Burkina Faso are cooking with the HotPot; they are excited about the variety of meals they've cooked and the fuel they’ve saved doing so. Read more about Solar Household Energy's West Africa programs at http://www.she-inc.org/projects-3.php.

• January 2007: The village coordinators in Senegal have been using their HotPots daily and they are excited about the meals they've cooked and their fuel savings. Their experience has increased interest throughout the village. This pilot program began in November and includes 120 participants in 5 villages north of Dakar. Read more here.

The History of Solar Cooking in Senegal

Considerable activity is present in Senegal on the solar cooking front. Much of that can be credited to the work of Abdoulaye Toure, a former teacher in the nation and now a government official, responsible for work in the renewable energy field. He serves as the executive of a national commission, and has direct contact with the President of the country who is so enthusiastic about the potential of solar cooking that he seconded Mr. Toure to the Ministry of Education to pursue this work. Prior to taking this position, Mr. Toure worked on solar cooking when he could, outside of his work hours as an elementary principal, in the construction and promotion of solar ovens. In his present position, he has created a substantial amount of publicity and activities, including television shows, visits to neighboring countries to extend the technology beyond Senegal's border, and numerous demonstrations and training courses all over the country. He is well known as the most ardent developer of solar energy, and is sometime dubbed in Senegal as "Mr. Sun."

One example of this work can be seen in the village of Diaganiao, a rural community with 6,000 inhabitants. It hosts several solar cooking projects, including a workshop that produces solar ovens for sale. As always, the problem with box cookers is the high cost to ordinary citizens, which has meant a slow uptake of the technology. Experimentation is ongoing with larger devices, to meet the needs of larger families, and less expensive devices as well.

In his most recent report to the President of the Republic, Mr. Toure elaborates on his work. He clearly is a dedicated person and a dreamer, now in a position of more influence, making him optimistic for the future of his cause, In his words " When one dreams alone, it is only a dream. When one dreams with many, it is the beginning of reality". To that end, an organization called Friends of the Sun was instituted in 2002. Senegal also was the first African nation to join the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), a feat recognized in the Johannesburg Social Development meetings. They are (partnering with counterparts in a Chinese Network to transfer reforestation technology. Similarly, they partner with an American network on technical issues.

The activities of the association revolve around two major projects: the African Solar Cooker Project (PCSA) in partnership with French groups, and the GEN network, mentioned above. A large number of individual projects have been established in the country, as well, in many parts of the country, in over 35 communities. One major operation is called the Palette Project, with an educational focus. An American group that has been generous in providing resources to schools finances this activity. Mr. Toure sees this as critical for developing a creative spirit in the communities where they work. One problem badly needing a creative solution concerns the mangrove swamps that line the Senegalese coast. Mangroves are being cut and burned to smoke fish for commercial sale, thus leading to serious erosion, as well as destruction offish habitat (a problem not unique to Senegal). He believes that solar energy can play a role in solving this problem, by providing alternative energy for the fish-smoking process. The work of Senegal's Mr. Sun has been known in the solar cooking world for some time, despite communication issues for monolingual English speakers. All who know him are delighted that he is currently in a position where his vast knowledge and long lasting dedication to solar cooking can be placed efficiently in the service of that cause in his country and the region. Most noteworthy is the strong and continuing commitment of the government of Senegal to this work.

Remains of other projects are also found, some no longer in use. One example was seen in a dispensary in the town of Niaming which had a solar photovoltaic panel, used for sterilization of medical equipment. It was however not in use, with local medical personnel preferring to use an electrical sterilizer, even though the costs were very high. The solar version was slow to heat up and less convenient than the electric version, which had been locally built and government subsidized at a cost of around 380 Euros (Trip Report, M. Bonello, 2003).

Also World Vision had promoted distribution of about 105 cookers in Senegal as of 2004.

[Information for this section was taken originally from State of the Art of Solar Cooking by Dr. Barbara Knudson]

Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations

In February 2009, Solar Household Energy reported, "The main reason we are very interested in solar box ovens is that for rural families in West Africa the HotPot is too small; box cookers can be made large enough to feed rural families (women usually have to cook for 10 or more people at a time). In Senegal there is a heritage of metal and wood workers which makes it a prime spot for box cooker production."

See also

• Discussion of northern Africa's suitability for solar cooking
  
• Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables

Resources

Articles in the media

• April 2009: A Bambey, le président laisse manifester les lycéens et les écoute - Le Soleil.sn

• November 2008: SENEGAL: Weighing the benefits of solar stoves - Reuters

Web pages

• Questions courantes sur les fours solaires

Audio and video

• Cuisson Solaire du Thiebou Diene

Contacts

The entities listed below are either based in Senegal, or have established solar cooking projects there:

SCI Associates

• Buramanding Kinteh
• Rescue Mission Gambia

Main article: Solar Cookers International Association

NGOs

• AFAPE
• Atouts Soleil
• Centre Ecologique Albert Schweitzer
• Cucinare con il Sole
• Inti
• Senegal Ecovillage Network
• Sol Suffit
• Solar Cooking KoZon
• Sun and Ice
• Zenaga Foundation

Manufacturers and vendors

• Cucinare con il Sole
• Inti
• Sol Suffit
• SunOK
• Sun and Ice

Individuals

• Abdoulaye Touré
• Buramanding Kinteh
• Marie-Line Dupuy

See also

• Gnibouwa Diassana
• Senegal news archive

See Also

• Click here for the complete list of Solar Cooking Wiki articles related to Senegal