In Bamou, in Niger’s Maradi region, Issaka Bakoye works at the forge he inherited from his father. For 35 years, the 53-year-old blacksmith has shaped iron to support his family. Much of that work once depended on charcoal, a hammer, and his own physical strength.
Electricity has transformed the rhythm of his workshop. “What used to take five minutes now takes about one,” says Issaka. Welding and other work that once had been done elsewhere can now be completed locally in Bamou. He can also offer welding services to other customers, expanding his business beyond traditional blacksmithing.
For Issaka, electricity has not only saved time. It has also increased his income. He says his daily earnings have nearly doubled, from around CFAF 2,000–3,000 (US$3–5) to at least CFAF 5,000 (about US$8.50). “It helps us meet our daily needs, and even save, which wasn’t the case before.” In Bamou, where most families depend on farming and small trades, that extra income brings greater security to his household of eight.
Issaka’s story reflects a broader transformation unfolding across Niger.
Between January and October 2026, more than one million people gained access to electricity through Haské-supported activities.
Closing a persistent access gap
Niger has one of the world’s lowest electricity-access rates in the world. In 2024, only about 23 percent of the population had access to electricity. In rural areas, home to more than eight in ten Nigeriens, access stood at just 5.3 percent in 2020. For small enterprises, limited power often means reliance on manual labor or costly fuel, fewer services, higher operating costs, and fewer working days. For households, it means fewer hours after dark to work, study, or care for family.
Haské, meaning “light” in Hausa, is the name of the Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project, which is currently in its first phase. Backed by an original financing package of US$317.5 million, Phase 1 combines grid reinforcement and expansion with solar mini-grids and off-grid solar solutions for households, businesses, and public institutions. It also supports productive uses of energy, clean and efficient cooking solutions, and stronger energy institutions and service delivery.
The approach reflects Niger’s geography where grid expansion is essential, but it cannot quickly reach dispersed communities. By combining grid and decentralized solutions, the program can extend modern energy services to households and enterprises with unique needs and circumstances.
Haské’s ambition goes beyond connecting homes: it seeks to turn power into opportunity.
More than 500,000 refugees and members of host communities are expected to benefit, with the project helping families start and expand income-generating activities and build economic resilience.
These efforts are part of Mission 300, the joint World Bank Group–African Development Bank initiative to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030. The significance goes beyond switching on the lights: electricity is creating more productive hours and enabling workers like Issaka to turn saved time and new opportunities into better livelihoods.
