(1 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo – 23 May 2025
1. Wide of Ndosho neighborhood of Goma
2. Mid of antennas and poles in the Ndosho neighborhood
3. Various of Mahamudu Bitego, a welder at work in his workshop
4. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Mahamudu Bitego, Welder:
“With generators, we spent about $15 daily if we worked a lot. Now with Nuru, it’s $10 daily and the electricity is better because there’s no breakdown requiring costly repairs.”
5. Various of Jacques Muhindo, a carpenter, working in his workshop
6. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Jacques Muhindo, Carpenter:
“The only problem we see is when it rains, there is a power outage. But when the sun is out we work from morning to night without any problems.”
7. Various of Choma Choma Mayuto Banga untangling wires and turning on his TV
8. Banga getting food out of his freezer
9. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Choma Choma Mayuto Banga, Goma resident:
“With street lighting, it’s easy to tell if someone with bad intentions is hiding somewhere, and it’s easy to escape. Today, we really have some security despite the current situation in the city. Because of this power supply, we’re seeing a bit of minimal security.”
10. Various of Alain Byamungu Chiruza, Chief Business Development Officer at Nuru, walking near some of the company’s solar panels
11. Chiruza walks inside the solar power plant
12. SOUNDBITE (French) Alain Byamungu Chiruza, Senior director of business development, Nuru:
“Obviously because of the context, even before the arrival of M23 (M23 rebellion), and today too, there is often gunfire in the community because of insecurity. So it can affect one or two panels. But in general we don’t have too many of these kinds of incidents and our panels are safe. Because the community understands that it is for their good that these panels are installed.”
13. Mid of solar panels
14. Various of Nuru workers in the Lac Vert neighborhood
STORYLINE:
In the Ndosho neighborhood of Goma, a city still reeling from the ongoing eastern Congo conflict, solar power is doing more than keeping the lights on.
It’s reviving businesses, improving security, and restoring hope.
Once a displaced persons camp with barely 3% of its population having access to electricity, Ndosho now benefits from a 1.3-megawatt solar mini-grid installed by Nuru, a Congolese-American company.
Backed by international investors including the European Union, the project was designed to bring renewable energy to communities long left behind by the national grid, particularly those affected by war and climate change.
Among those benefiting is Mahamudu Bitego, a welder who powers his workshop using Nuru’s solar panels.
“With generators, we spent about $15 daily if we worked a lot. Now with Nuru, it’s $10 daily and the electricity is better because there’s no breakdown requiring costly repairs,” he told the Associated Press.
Tradespeople like Bitego once depended on noisy, unreliable diesel generators.
The switch to solar has not only lowered costs but also allowed them to work more efficiently.
Carpenter Jacques Muhindo explained, “The only problem we see is when it rains, there is a power outage. But when the sun is out we work from morning to night without any problems.”
The solar-powered grid also fuels phone-charging stations, water treatment plants, and even street lights.
It’s a small but vital improvement in a city that has experienced violent takeovers by armed groups, including the M23 rebels earlier this year.
Keeping the system running in a conflict zone hasn’t been easy.
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