Soukaina Bouba Dalil is a strong advocate of sustainable development and also believes green energy technology is vital in mitigating the impact of climate change. Recently several countries across the globe have experienced devastating consequences of the climate change such as excessive heat, prolonged drought, insect outbreaks, increased rainfalls and outbreaks of wildfires.
Experts warn that Africa and other developing countries would be badly impacted by these adverse conditions if industrialised countries do not reduce their reliance on fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil which produce heat that traps gases.
Energy deficit region
It is this awareness that inspired Dalil to launch Energie d’Afrique in 2018 with a specific intention of providing clean energy in particular to the far northern region of her home country of Cameroon and in Africa in general. Most countries in her region are energy deficient and Dalil wants to educate them about green energy technology.
The 26 years old is an engineer in renewable energy and this puts her in a good stead to drive sustainable economic and ecological knowledge and solutions. Dalil believes Africa cannot avoid the impact of climate change particularly on crops, water and energy resources. Apart from being an environmental activist, Dalil is also passionate about entrepreneurship which is also another motivation for her establishing Energie d’Afrique.
Energie d’Afrique main activities include:
- Construction, equipment and maintenance of bio-digesters for biogas and electricity
- The manufacture of biomass cookers and solar dryers
- It also offers services in the installation of off-grid solar power plants
Harnessing natural resources
She says the lack of energy in Africa impacts all sectors of society but it is particularly in the poor communities that this is acutely felt. Dalil says the continent is abundantly endowed with natural and renewable resources (sun and biomass) which can be leveraged to generate enough clean and cost-effective energy to all communities.
Strong team of engineers
Dalil is ably backed up by a team of several engineers each performing a specific function for the company. They include a project engineer who is tasked with the conception, implementation and the execution of the projects entrusted to the company. There is also a QHSE engineer (quality, hygiene, safety and environment) who is in charge of the environmental impact measures and the safety measures for goods and people. Then there is a computer scientist who develops the digital aspect of the company and manages the website. And finally, they have a legal accountant who attends to all financial and legal matters of the company.
Developing capacity
She believes her company is well positioned to play a bigger role in addressing the energy needs of the African continent. Her future plans involve growing Energie d’Afrique by developing its capacity to supply the entire Central African sub-region with energy from Energie d’Afrique renewable and sustainable resources. She says they want to make the costs of energy very accessible and also promote the use of green technologies. In addition, “We want to open long-term training centres to ensure the transfer of skills and to reduce unemployment,” says Dalil.
Critical role of women in green technology
Dalil is also a passionate about women involvement in transforming their communities especially in Africa which faces a number of developmental challenges. She believes women are critical players in helping drive major and impactful initiatives such as popularising green energy practices and educating communities about climate change. She calls on women particularly young girls, to pursue studies in STEM fields so that they can equip themselves with knowledge and skills so that they can play a leading role in turning Africa into an economic powerhouse.
