Awa Niang, energy for the expansion of solar October 2, 2026
At the head of Effa Services, Awa Niang, a 30-year-old engineer, deploys tailor-made solar engineering in Senegal. Between project management, agricultural pumping and domestic kits, it seeks to democratize clean energy while imposing a business model supported by assertive female leadership.
There is a discreet, almost shy restraint in her voice, which disappears as soon as she talks about her profession. As she talks about energy and her field experience, Awa Niang reveals a more assertive determination. At 30 years old, the engineer belongs to this generation of Senegalese technicians for whom the energy transition is built less in speeches than in concrete achievements and local autonomy solutions.
Pleasant, his natural joviality immediately establishes a climate of trust. But behind this apparent gentleness lies an assumed managerial rigor and a deep passion for his profession. “Renewable energies constitute a sector of the future which allows citizens to achieve their own energy autonomy,” she says. Through Effa Services, it seeks to offer households and rural areas reliable electrical solutions, adapted to their needs, in a context where the national network is not always sufficient to meet demand.
The story of this Dakaroise is based on an academic career. Indeed, after obtaining a scientific baccalaureate in 2014, she joined the Higher School of Technology and Management to obtain her license in electrical engineering and renewable energies. Keen to refine her scientific skills, she pursued her studies further at the École supérieure polytechnique de Dakar. “I didn’t want to limit myself there,” she slips. In 2025, she completes a specialized master’s degree in energy management and its environment. However, it is truly through contact with the field that the young professional shapes her method and forges her expertise.
For nearly six years, within the Soleil-Eau-Vie company, she patiently climbed through the ranks. Initially an intern trained in the specificities of German Lorentz solar pumping equipment, she became the technical-sales manager of the structure. “Our manager taught me a lot and entrusted me with immense responsibilities. It is thanks to this confidence that I developed a true love for this profession,” she recalls. In this company, she masters the overall chain of a project, from welcoming customers to identifying needs, including the rigorous sizing of installations and after-sales follow-up. The sudden death of the manager at the end of 2024 and the administrative complications that followed precipitated his initiative. The idea of creating her own commercial entity, which had been germinating within her for several years, became an operational emergency.
In May 2025, she took the plunge by founding Effa Services, a company whose name constitutes an explicit commitment to “Reliable expertise for an autonomous future”. Based in Cité Soleil, the young company quickly established itself as an agile structure, capable of combining heavy engineering with local support. The company articulates its offering around three well-defined strategic areas. On the one hand, energy supply includes the installation of hybrid domestic solar kits and the deployment of solar pumping systems intended for the modernization of agriculture. On the other hand, the maintenance division guarantees the cleaning of the parks, preventive maintenance and monitoring of technological performance. Finally, the company stands out for its solid project management consulting activity, including quality, health and environmental safety protocols, as well as institutional support for responses to calls for tender.
Energy as a tool for rural autonomy
Faced with the inability of the national electricity company to fully satisfy rapidly growing demand, Effa Services is primarily targeting rural areas and farms. “In the countryside, many households suffer from the lack of electricity and water from boreholes, which forces them to travel kilometers,” laments Awa Niang. To respond to the emergency of these populations lacking basic infrastructure, the structure has developed “Yakaar Kits”, accessible devices designed to simultaneously power a fan, a radio, a flashlight and a small refrigerator. This pragmatic approach makes it possible to democratize energy while making users aware of the benefits of the payback time of renewable equipment.
The path remains, however, strewn with financial and logistical obstacles. In the absence of direct state subsidies at the moment, the company finances its development through its own funds and income from its installation services. “The costs of equipment, particularly batteries and inverters, remain particularly high,” underlines the engineer. In a capital-intensive sector, where imported equipment represents a considerable cost, Effa Services relies on an extensive network of strategic and technological partners. On an operational level, the young company highlights strong female leadership. Management and administrative management are exclusively carried out by women, while the execution of work on sites is carried out in collaboration with a pool of technicians, certified service providers and welders. “We are in no way discriminatory and we promote real social inclusion on the ground,” she assures.
Pathé NIANG
