The European Union, in partnership with the German Cooperation Agency GIZ and Senegal's national electricity company Senelec, inaugurated two mini solar power plants on 12 May 2026 in the villages of Dayane Kodiolé and Dayane Séllé in the Matam region, providing electricity access to over 94 households (712 people) as well as schools and health facilities. The ceremony was presided over by Senegal's Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines Birame Souleye Diop, alongside EU Ambassador Jean-Marc Pisani, German Ambassador Kai Baldow, and Senelec Director General Papa Toby Gaye.
The installations are part of the project "Promoting access to electricity for people living in isolated, off-grid villages in Senegal" (Pro-Access), which exemplifies triangular cooperation between the Government of Senegal, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the European Union through its Renewable Energy Development Support Programme for Universal Access (PADERAU). PADERAU, with a total budget of €92 million (60.4 billion CFA francs) over six years, is co-financed by the EU, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the French Development Agency (AFD), and BMZ. The programme is structured around grid extensions—implemented by Senelec to electrify 556 rural communities in the Matam, Tambacounda, Sédhiou, and Ziguinchor regions—and off-grid access, implemented by GIZ through the ENDEV project.
The inauguration concretely illustrates Team Europe's commitment to sustainable development and improving living conditions in remote rural areas, as part of the Global Gateway strategy. The mini grids are expected to boost socio-economic development by powering essential services and households in areas far from the main electricity network.