start n’light – rural electrification in sierra leone

The History of Its Origins

In 2018, the support for the project led by Mohamed Jah and Alpha Umar Jalloh in West Africa began. Mohamed spent over 10 years studying and working in the USA, most recently as an electrical engineer for a telecommunications provider. Upon returning to his home in Sierra Leone a few years ago, the rural poverty deeply shocked him. The fact that children lacked even basic light to complete their homework moved him to advocate for the affordable electrification of these villages using renewable energy. He founded the social enterprise Start N’Light, and alongside a team of friends from diverse backgrounds, he developed a novel concept to harness the intense equatorial solar radiation.

Worldwide co-founder Alpha Kaloga, who was working for the Green Climate Fund in Conakry, Guinea at the time, learned of Start N’Light and Mohamed’s need for support and collaboration. Alpha is convinced that the spirit of Start N’Light can serve as a model for the entire West African region, leading him to take on the project. Having completed his entire studies in Germany and possessing an intimate knowledge of international development cooperation (EZ), Alpha serves as the South-North bridge.

Innovation “Made in Africa”

Start N’Light pursues a pragmatic approach: instead of importing expensive standard solutions, the team combines electrical engineering innovations with practical solutions from automotive engineering. Mohamed’s team includes auto mechanics who helped develop a completely new concept for a mini-power plant adapted to local conditions. This system utilizes the equatorial sun more efficiently and supplies families, farms, and emerging businesses independently of the non-existent power grid—powered exclusively by renewable energies. The next step involves integrating wind and hydropower.

The defining feature of Start N’Light is not merely the intention to bring electricity to rural Africa via off-grid systems—as hundreds of such projects currently exist—but rather that it represents an innovation “made in Africa.” Supporters and partners include experts such as a professor from Fourah Bay College and the Ministry of Energy. The promising results of the first project phase sparked a sense of euphoria among Mohamed, his team, and the many villagers involved, serving as a strong indicator of self-determined development.

Background and Challenges

Villages in rural Sierra Leone will not be connected to the public power grid in the foreseeable future. In 2017, only 1% of rural areas had access to electricity; in the project region, that figure is 0%. Even if the grid were expanded, its capacity could not meet demand; power outages are a daily occurrence. 95% of residents in the project area are smallholder farmers, yet agriculture is limited to rain-fed farming, meaning only 6 months of the year can be used productively. Without affordable electricity, growing businesses cannot develop, and young people migrate to cities where they find limited job opportunities due to a lack of education in fields like IT.

With his holistic project approach, Mohamed Jah aims to build Start N’Light into a nationwide provider of renewable energy for rural areas. To date, project activities have focused on two villages and included the construction of a training center, the establishment of PV-powered micro-irrigation for 120 female smallholders, the supply of solar power to 200 households, and the creation of a small business park.

Learning and Further Development (Update 2023)

The initial excitement surrounding the innovative system, which was intended to enable faster charging, has subsided somewhat in Kabomboh because the technical implementation involved efficiency losses in practice and did not prove cost-effective in the long run. However, this learning process is viewed as a vital part of true innovation.

More importantly, the motivation of the population remains high. Start N’Light has shown people that they can take their future into their own hands, and consequently, the residents of Kabomboh and surrounding villages are ready to help. This determination convinced the cdw Foundation from Kassel to enter into a long-term partnership with Mohamed Jah and Start N’Light. The cdw Foundation financed a 50kW solar terminal, which was put into operation in early 2025 through the collaboration of a German engineer and the Start N’Light team, and now supplies all of Kabomboh with electricity.

Outlook Phase 3: The Start N’Light Academy (Update 2025)

Building on these experiences and the stabilized energy supply, the third phase is now beginning: the Start N’Light Academy. The village of Kabomboh is now known across borders, and young people ask Mohamed for apprenticeships several times a week. To meet this demand, Start N’Light will train 20 young people in photovoltaic installation and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in its first class starting in October 2025.

Education is linked directly to local value creation: apprentices apply their knowledge practically by, for example, analyzing the irrigation system of the local “Mahoyo” women’s group and expanding it from 2.4 to 3.5 hectares. This not only secures food supplies but serves as a real-world learning environment.To make the academy independent of donations in the long term, an innovative scholarship fund is being established: the training is pre-financed for participants, who later pay back a portion of their scholarship once they earn their own income through contracts mediated by Start N’Light. In this way, one generation finances the next. This third project phase is co-financed by EWS-Schönau, which supported Mohamed’s project in its first year, and the State of Hesse. Furthermore, the ClimaClic Lottery has been a reliable supporter since 2024. By buying a ticket at this climate lottery, the project is additionally supported.