Impact analysis of a rural electrification project in Mali

Abstract

Rural electrification has many positive impacts on the life of the rural population of Mali. Mali, one of the poorest countries of Western Africa, has a population of 12 million inhabitants of which 80 percent do not have access to electricity. In this research the impact and the sustainability of a Jatropha generated electrification project in Southern Mali has been researched. A comparison is made between 4 villages, one, Garalo with electricity and three villages that are still without electricity. The project could be seen as a big success regarding all the satisfied people who now have access to electricity. It facilitates their lives, it saves money compared with the use of other energy sources. It has a positive impact on the whole village. With the access to electricity, the health centres can deliver better work, and students can work more hours a day. Moreover it creates more economic activities for some women through having a fridge and it facilitate the work of already existing micro‐enterprises. Because of the lack of Jatropha‐oil and the usage of diesel, the project is not sustainable at this moment. It will be necessary to have a look at other renewable energies or biofuels with a higher selling price than the Jatropha crop has currently.