Kita (Mali) : Akuo Project
Energy transition, Projects
A 50 MW solar power plant project in Kita, Mali, one of the largest renewable energy projects in West Africa to this day. This is one of Akuo’s projects that is particularly close to our hearts, following more than seven years of work from the initial concept to commissioning.
Deeply integrated into the local communities where it is located, the project included the drilling of new wells in an area rich in groundwater resources, the provision of land, and the deployment of an extensive training programme drawing on Agriterra’s agrivoltaic expertise. These initiatives contributed to the development of agricultural activities—particularly market gardening—across nearly 7 hectares, led by a collective of more than one hundred women. Working in improved conditions throughout the day, these women generate greater impact and contribute directly to enhanced food and nutritional autonomy in the region.
Beyond its electrical impact—with 50 MW of installed capacity and 76,000 MWh of annual production, supplying electricity directly to Bamako, the capital—the project has been a major source of learning for Akuo, lessons that now inform its new developments. Akuo’s teams had to learn how to design and deliver a renewable energy project in an entirely new environment, with its own specific constraints, in service of communities whose needs were not initially well understood.
The project was built using a methodology Akuo has refined over more than 20 years, based on stakeholder engagement throughout project design and key decision-making processes. This approach ensures inclusivity, transparency—even on potentially contentious issues—and responsiveness to feedback from third parties. Acceptance of the project by local communities, including administrative stakeholders, was the result of a long and continuous process of improvement.
Structuring the project’s financing and construction proved equally challenging, as Akuo had to convince partners to support the initiative in a region they were also largely unfamiliar with. Establishing a robust industrial project organisation and securing financing through a non-recourse project finance structure, involving banking institutions and private investors, represented another major learning experience.
Today, Akuo’s teams oversee the operation of this remarkable project and ensure its success on a daily basis. Building on this achievement, Akuo is now committed to a solar expansion of the site and the deployment of battery storage systems, which will enable electricity supply to be better aligned with the consumption needs of the residents of Bamako.
Micellium is proud to be a shareholder in Akuo, which leads this outstanding project, and in Agriterra for its agrivoltaic contribution. Micellium is grateful to its partners—the NGO ACTED and the Akuo Foundation, under the aegis of the Luxembourg Foundation—for their philanthropic commitment, which made it possible to achieve local objectives beyond the sole production of electricity, by implementing positive externalities related to agriculture and ecology in support of territorial resilience.
Micellium will continue to leverage its position as a shareholder in Akuo and Agriterra to help shape their strategies and enable them to continue developing meaningful projects with lasting impact.
