Cameroon's Remote Villages Get Electricity Boost: IEEE Smart Village and REI Cameroon Pioneer Open-Source Minigrids
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More than three decades after staring at moonlit skies in rural Cameroon, Jude Numfor's dream of electrifying his village is now a reality, thanks to a partnership with IEEE Smart Village.
Numfor's company, Renewable Energy Innovators (REI) Cameroon, has deployed solar minigrids in off-grid communities, with critical support from a 2017 IEEE Smart Village grant.
'It’s not just about money. We share ideas, we get advice, and we have made friends. Entrepreneurship is lonely, but with the [Smart Village] community, it is different,' Numfor said.
The minigrids, using photovoltaic panels and battery storage, deliver 50 Hz electricity through smart meters. The latest innovation is an open-source metering system developed with IEEE Smart Village, enabling transparent billing and grid management.
Open-Source Metering: A Game Changer
Unlike proprietary utility meters, the open-source system allows users, researchers, and utilities to view, customize, and verify data collection. This ensures transparency in billing, consumption tracking, and grid management.
The technology is community-driven and freely available, making it scalable for other remote areas across Africa and beyond.
Background: From Moonlit Nights to Solar-Powered Homes
Growing up in the mountain village of Mbem in northwest Cameroon, young Numfor knew only moonlight after sunset. Electricity was absent from his rural community.
One neighbor owned a petrol generator and a small television. 'When he turned it on, all the children would run to his house and peep through the window,' Numfor recalled. That memory sparked his mission.
In 2006, he cofounded Wireless Light and Power, now REI Cameroon, to design, install, and maintain solar minigrids. His first taste of electric living came in 2001 when he moved in with a missionary family in Allat. Their solar-powered home — with TV, ice cream, and lights — made him wish the same for his brothers in Mbem.
When a motion-sensor solar light broke, Numfor tinkered with it. 'My missionary family told me to play with it like a toy,' he said, laughing. 'I replaced the dead battery with a motorcycle battery and was able to bring the power back for the night.'
That early curiosity, encouraged by his missionary parents, led him to study technology and engineering independently, as no Cameroonian university offered solar energy programs at the time.
What This Means
The IEEE Smart Village partnership is transforming lives in remote Cameroon communities, providing reliable electricity for education, employment, and daily life.
The open-source metering model offers a blueprint for sustainable rural electrification worldwide, reducing dependence on hazardous kerosene lamps and enabling transparent energy access.
As Numfor puts it, the collaboration proves that with shared ideas and community support, even the most remote villages can step into the light.