In Burkina Faso only about three percent of rural households have electricity. Many farmers walk miles at dawn, carrying buckets under the sun because boreholes lie far beyond reach. In that landscape stepped Safiatou Nana, armed with education, empathy, and ambition.
Trained as an electrical engineer and holding a master’s degree in renewable energy, Safiatou became one of the continent’s most exciting innovators in 2019. She channelled her technical expertise into founding SolarKoodo, a start‑up dedicated to creating affordable, off‑grid solar pumps for farmers. The system is bold in its simplicity: a mobile solar panel assembly on a pullable platform that powers irrigation motors. Farmers can shift it from one well to another, offering clean energy where none existed, and without diesel or manual labor.
During early trials near Ouagadougou, SolarKoodo halved irrigation time. In some cases yields quadrupled, rising to two hundred kilograms of crop per day. The implications are enormous: more food, less wasted labor, and a mechanic-free solution that fits local patterns.
Safiatou also co‑founded a youth energy awareness group and served as deputy secretary general in an organization promoting energy saving across schools and public institutions. She writes and speaks about clean energy, climate adaptation, and the need for energy justice in communities too often forgotten.
Recognised as one of five African innovators to watch, she has elevated the profile of solar innovation in Burkina Faso, a country where energy independence remains distant for many. Though funding setbacks have delayed full rollout of SolarKoodo, Safiatou continues to rally support through community initiatives and collaborations with farmers, focused on local action and building trust.
Her vision is simple yet profound: every village deserves sustainable energy. She wants irrigation pumps powered by sunlight rather than fossil fuels. She wants female farmers to work with dignity.
What makes Safiatou’s work striking is that it grows from African soil. It blends local language, local needs, and local ingenuity. She named her system after the word for harvest in Mooré language, SolarKoodo, a symbol of purpose rooted in cultural identity.
While Burkina Faso invests in large solar farms and builds mega‑projects, Safiatou reminds us that real transformation happens when energy meets irrigation, when light meets livelihood, and when women become agents of innovation.
From engineering labs to farming fields, from prototypes to panels under the sun, Safiatou Nana is weaving hope into every watt of energy she delivers. In a region where light itself remains scarce, she is lighting possibility.
