Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) is a collaborative project between the European Union and nine African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania ) that aims at providing energy access technologies and business models that are easily replicable and generate local opportunities for economic development and social cohesion in Africa. Through several local living labs, it is expected to facilitate the co-development of scalable and replicable energy access innovations, to be

The spread of the Internet combined with the emergence of open access platforms allows for the wide and rapid diffusion of technical design specifications and codified engineering knowledge, e.g., through open designs, discussion forums, free online courses, and instructional text and videos.

In Sub-Saharan Africa more than 630 million people live without access to electricity which is a constraint to social and economic development. In Kenya more than 35 million people do not have access to electricity. Due to recent developments like price drops and increased quality in solar PV technology, better mobile coverage and access to mobile payment solutions, several mission-driven private firms have emerged in Kenya delivering power to rural residents through solar powered mini-grids.