Article updated 2026-05-20
As the global energy transition becomes an increasingly urgent priority, developing local expertise has emerged as a critical lever for ensuring sustainable access to energy solutions adapted to regional realities. Senegal faces a dual challenge: meeting rapidly growing energy demands while reducing its dependence on fossil fuels, which are often costly and polluting. It was within this context that an ambitious international training initiative was born, bringing together Canadian expertise and the determination of Senegalese educators to strengthen local solar energy knowledge.
This large-scale initiative was made possible through financial support from Global Affairs Canada. The program had a clear objective: to lead a comprehensive skills upgrade for the teaching staff of the Centre National de Qualification Professionnelle (CNQP), a key institution for technical education in Senegal. To oversee this complex mandate, the Canadian government entrusted the project to the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB), acting as the nonprofit organization responsible for project implementation. Recognizing the importance of involving field experts, CCNB then selected strategic partners, including the team at Ecosolaris, to lead the renewable energy component of the program.
Mandated as technical trainers, the Ecosolaris team was tasked with training a group of local instructors who would, in turn, pass on their knowledge to future generations of students specializing in solar energy systems. The objective was clear: to help build sustainable local expertise in the solar energy sector, ensure that Senegalese instructors mastered the latest technologies, and promote the long-term technical autonomy of communities. To achieve this, the story unfolded through a rigorous journey stretching from Senegal to the laboratories of Quebec.
Timeline of a Partnership: From Assessment to the Creation of a Local Laboratory
The project did not begin in a classroom, but rather in the field. Ecosolaris experts first traveled to Dakar to assess the existing facilities at CNQP. This initial diagnostic phase was fundamental. It allowed the team to closely analyze the current situation, identify technical gaps within the existing program, and better understand the local energy ecosystem. Based on these concrete observations, tailored technical and pedagogical recommendations were developed.
Once the needs had been identified, the project took on a transatlantic dimension with the arrival of CNQP instructors in Saint-Jérôme. A group of teachers from Dakar crossed the Atlantic to participate in an intensive three-week immersion program in Canada. The highlight of this stay took place in Saint-Jérôme, where participants spent an entire week inside Ecosolaris’ facilities. Far from abstract theory, this phase allowed Senegalese solar energy instructors to work directly with advanced equipment, study complex battery systems, and closely examine the operation of grid-connected solar installations. This hands-on exposure to Quebec-based technology provided the practical foundation necessary for the continuation of the program.
To ensure that this transfer of knowledge would endure beyond the return journey, it was essential that the Senegalese instructors have access to the same tools in their own country. Ecosolaris therefore acted as a strategic advisor by submitting a detailed proposal identifying the exact hardware and components required for CNQP to build its own educational solar laboratory in Dakar. Once the equipment had been ordered, shipped, and received in Senegal, a final phase became necessary: training the instructors on the use of their new laboratory. The Ecosolaris team returned to the field to provide hands-on instruction directly on the newly installed equipment, completing the cycle of technical autonomy.
When the Ecosolaris team returned to Senegal for this final stage, the goal was to bring the new solar laboratory in Dakar to life. The experts first carried out inspections, configuration, and validation of all the received equipment to ensure that every component was fully functional and safe. Once the technical setup was completed, the practical training sessions could begin. It was at this precise moment that the project truly came full circle: the Senegalese instructors were able to apply, on their own soil, the skills they had acquired in Canada while working directly on their own installations.
A High-Level Technical Program Designed for Lasting Impact
Thanks to the synergy between all stakeholders involved, the training delivered in the field was structured around three major components, carefully designed to address Senegal’s realities.
The first component focused on system sizing and core photovoltaic principles. This module provided participants with a strong foundation in photovoltaic system sizing calculations, detailed energy needs analysis, and the structural understanding of the components required to design systems adapted to local realities. Without proper sizing expertise, solar installations risk underperformance, making this theoretical foundation one of the project’s most important pillars.
The second component concentrated on grid-connected installations and battery-based systems. This practical segment explored both off-grid solar systems, which store energy in batteries to provide electricity at night, and grid-tied systems, which inject generated electricity directly into the public grid to reduce local energy costs. Every stage of installation was taught with a strong emphasis on adapting equipment to local environmental constraints such as extreme heat and dust, while complying with Senegalese safety standards. This approach enabled instructors to develop practical technical reflexes that could immediately be applied in real-world conditions.
Finally, the project included a specialized module dedicated to solar water pumping systems, a technology representing more than 50% of solar installations in certain regions of Africa. While this solution remains far less common in Canada, it plays an absolutely essential role in Senegal by supporting access to drinking water in rural communities and enabling agricultural irrigation. Mastering this technology therefore represented a critical challenge for territories facing major issues related to both water and energy access.
This project was born from a simple but powerful conviction: knowledge sharing is the only true driver of meaningful and lasting impact. By choosing to train local instructors rather than simply install solar panels, Ecosolaris and CCNB deliberately created a multiplier effect. Every teacher equipped through this initiative is now preparing to train dozens of students each year at CNQP in Dakar, allowing the expertise gained through the program to extend far beyond the initial training itself.
Behind every lesson taught now lies the promise of improved access to energy, more efficient water management, and new opportunities for local economic development, all carried forward by the people who understand their communities’ realities best.
