In Burkina Faso, access to reliable and affordable energy is a major structural challenge for economic development. Faced with frequent power cuts and the high cost of electricity, the startup SolarDev joins the Néré Capital portfolio under the CATAL1.5°T programme. This partnership opens a new stage in the company’s development, with the ambition of accelerating the deployment of productive solar solutions adapted to the realities of Burkinabè SMEs.
From international finance to energy engineering
SolarDev’s story begins in 2021, in Ouagadougou, when two young Burkinabè professionals decide to combine their experiences to democratise access to solar energy. Sylvestre Coulibaly, trained between Paris and Hong Kong, with a career in the trading rooms of major international banks (BNP Paribas, Citibank, UBS) consolidated within the West African fund Cauris Management, teams up with Cédric Sama, an expert in financial structuring with a fine knowledge of sustainable project financing, formerly with Amarenco France.
Behind this initiative lies a shared conviction: in a context of energy stress, massive power cuts and prohibitive initial investment costs, local SMEs remain trapped by a saturated, unstable and overly expensive grid. For them, solar is not a technological option, but a vital urgency.
It is from this conviction that SolarDev was born. The company specialised in the sizing, financing and supervision of solar installations for essentially professional clients, through an innovative energy-leasing model backed by the energy savings achieved. Without a heavy initial outlay, the client repays the installation through monthly payments calibrated to be equivalent to, or even slightly below, their previous SONABEL bills. At the end of the contract, the installation becomes their property.
The company’s results testify to significant performances. According to data presented by SolarDev, the company has financed and supervised the installation of 389 kWp for more than 680 million FCFA of investments committed, with a portfolio of solvent clients and a 100% recovery rate. In 2024, revenue reached 42 million FCFA, almost double the previous year, with a net profitability of 23%. On the environmental side, nearly 6,450 tonnes of CO₂ should be avoided within 5 years thanks to the installations deployed.
Support to scale up
SolarDev’s entry into the Néré Capital portfolio, under the CATAL1.5°T programme, comes at a strategic moment in its development.
The aim is to enable the company to consolidate its foundations and take a new step in scaling up. The support will focus on two strategic pillars.
First, the deployment of productive solar installations. SolarDev plans to install an additional 300 kWp for solvent clients with high economic impact, in essential sectors such as health, education, hospitality and agri-food. These projects, technically validated and ready to be contracted, will make it possible to pre-finance the equipment, deploy it rapidly and provide clients with stable and autonomous energy, without cash-flow constraints.
Then, organisational and technological strengthening. The support will make it possible to optimise the proprietary digital monitoring and collection platform, strengthen support functions (reporting, customer service, financial monitoring), and recruit strategic staff, notably an energy engineer and an administrative officer. The company also plans to benefit from legal and tax support to consolidate the structuring of its operations and anticipate the requirements of accelerated growth.
Energy innovation in the service of energy justice
Beyond the support, this partnership reflects a shared vision of tomorrow’s energy.
In Burkina Faso, where the national electrification rate remains low (25%) and the public grid is under growing pressure, energy solutions must be able to combine frugality, productive performance and economic viability.
This is precisely the ground on which SolarDev intends to position itself. By powering the most energy-hungry companies through autonomous solar installations, the company helps relieve congestion on the national grid. Each kilowatt-peak installed represents one less load for SONABEL, allowing the national electricity company to redirect its capacity towards more vulnerable uses that have neither the means nor the alternatives to access reliable electricity.
For Néré Capital, supporting SolarDev is part of a broader approach: identifying and supporting companies capable of turning environmental challenges into lasting economic and social opportunities, while strengthening the resilience of territories to the effects of climate change.
A new stage for SolarDev
After several years of experimentation, structuring and demonstration in the field, SolarDev is today entering a new phase of its history.
The support of Néré Capital and the CATAL1.5°T programme should enable it to install an additional 300 kWp, strengthen its capacities, structure its growth and prepare a more structured fundraising round. Several large-scale projects are already in advanced discussion with institutional clients, representing a potential of more than 700 kWp of additional installations.
The ambition is clear: to bring forth, from Burkina Faso, energy solutions capable of combining profitability, ecological transition and social equity, for a more resilient economy and a more sustainable future.
About CATAL1.5°T
CATAL1.5°T is an acceleration programme dedicated to African SMEs and startups committed to the fight against climate change. Funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and BMZ, the programme offers seed financing as well as strategic and technical support designed to help companies structure their growth and maximise their impact.
Links
Website: solardevbf.com
LinkedIn: solardev
