Mali’s Kati University Hospital goes solar in major Healthcare upgrade

The transitional government of Mali has commissioned a new 1,000-kilowatt solar power installation at the Kati University Teaching Hospital (CHU). The project, personally inaugurated by Transitional President General Assimi Goïta, forms part of his administration’s broader social initiatives to modernize public health facilities.

The state-of-the-art solar array comprises 846 photovoltaic panels, providing the 500-bed referral hospital with 24/7 reliable electricity; a critical upgrade for a facility previously plagued by chronic power outages.

Before the solar upgrade, staff reported conducting emergency cesarean sections by phone flashlight and losing vital medications due to refrigeration failures.

Now, the hospital’s neonatal, surgical, and intensive care units will operate with guaranteed power.

The strategy aligns with both immediate healthcare needs and long-term climate commitments, transitioning medical facilities from diesel generators to renewable energy.

The electrification programme underway through the social works of President Assimi Goïta aims to gradually equip all public health facilities with an autonomous energy system.

It is a concrete response to the infrastructure challenges facing Mali, and is part of a sustainable development approach based on the use of renewable energies.

Fayçal BADIE