IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Magazine - July 2019 - 48

visibility and influence through
socio-economic uplift in the lives
paper presentations at internaof the indigenes of our host com"We were merely
tional conferences, including regmunities. We are agents of change
young students
ular attendance at the annual
for the common good."
IEEE Global Humanitarian TechGVE customers are seeing the
with lofty ideas
nology Conference.
benefits of clean, reliable power in
for an energy
"IEEE's support provided me
their daily lives. One of them
with
credibility and led to collabodescribed the impact of reliable,
access revolution
ration with other organizations,
affordable electricity on his life.
in West Africa."
such as the U.S. African Develop"Before now, we relied on basic
ment Foundation that sponsors the
local means like kerosene lanterns,
Power Africa Off-Grid Energy
candles, and at rare times, 'I passed
Challenge," Orajaka added. "Upon an invitation from the
my neighbor' generators to provide light. Normally, we
U.S. Department of State, I attended the 2015 Global Entrewould go to the village market center to pay and charge our
preneurship Summit in Nairobi, Kenya."
phones. Since GVE came in, these are struggles of the past."
All of these factors contributed to GVE's success. The
Describing life before GVE, the customer continued,
company's credibility gained it and its collaborators atten"Before now, I spent roughly 450 naira [approximately
tion and funding from Nigeria's Bank of Industry, which
US$2.25] daily for three liters of fuel, but now I spend
enabled it to expand. As with other start-ups, the process of
about 200 naira, for better value. I have longer hours of
establishing the business has not always been rosy. GVE
electricity, without generator noise and fumes. My children
encountered critical challenges, including severe financial
can read in the evening, after school. I do not travel to
constraints. Employees and stakecharge my cell phone, which allows me
holders have made sacrifices. But
to spend more business hours at my
the families that GVE has empowshop. The benefits are so many to
ered have been supportive and
count. Compared to how much I spent
embraced the company's goals.
on fuel and alternative sources before
Now, on a daily basis, GVE is
GVE came to our community, the serexpanding its reach across Nigeria,
vice is really affordable."
applying its electrical engineering
Orajaka credits the success to his
knowledge to benefit the villages it
involvement with the IEEE. "Our busiserves, increasing educational
ness and the positive impacts we're
opportunities for children in rural
having on off-grid communities in
communities, and providing jobs
Nigeria have been made possible
that, otherwise, would never have
through my own membership and parbeen possible. GVE is one of the
ticipation in the IEEE and the support
best-known renewable-energy prowe have received from the ISV initiaviders in Sub-Saharan Africa.
tive," he explained. "My colleagues and
You can learn more about GVE
I are grateful for the IEEE's support,
projects on the ISV website, https://
which began when we were merely
smartvillage.ieee.org/project/greenyoung students with lofty ideas for an
village-electricity-nigeria/. With the
energy access revolution in West Afri- Figure 1. Ifeanyi Orajaka, cofounder
ISV's growing success, requests
ca. And we are honored to be ambassa- of GVE.
for support from communities
dors for the IEEE wherever we go."
around the world are increasing. Additional funding and
Orajaka joined the IEEE in 2007 as a Student Member
help from all IEEE Societies are needed. Please join us at
and had the good fortune to lead a team that won an Outhttps://smartvillage.ieee.org and the IEEE Foundation
standing Student Humanitarian Prize in the inaugural
Smart Village donation page at https://www.ieeefoundation
IEEE Presidents' Change the World Competition that year.
.org/smart-village.
His team's initiative, "Project Spread the Light: Provide
Electricity in a Small Settlement," painted the vision of disAbout the Author
tributed solar energy technology and the long-term ecoDan Estes (estesdanlee@gmail.com) earned his B.S.E.E.
nomic impact that it would have on remote Nigerian
communities. IEEE Executive Director Jim Prendergast
degree from the University of Mississippi and holds four
personally alerted Orajaka to the IEEE's Humanitarian
patents in optical technologies. He is the executive director
Technology Network. Prendergast encouraged Orajaka to
of technology for Cox Business at Cox Communications in
join the IEEE PES Community Solutions Initiative, which
Atlanta, Georgia. He is the volunteer chair of the marketing
became today's ISV. IEEE membership brought GVE
committee for IEEE Smart Village.
48

IEEE SYSTEMS, MAN, & CYBERNETICS MAGAZINE Ju ly 2019

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IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Magazine - July 2019

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