LocationsSolar energy brings stability to Burundi’s health facilities
September 5, 2025
Installing the first solar panels at SWAA Burundi HIV care centre in Bujumbura.
UNDP and the Global Fund partner to address critical energy gaps and strengthen essential health services through renewable energy solutions.
Burundi faces one of the most severe energy crises in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fewer than 15 percent of the population is connected to the national electricity grid, with only two percent in rural areas. Frequent outages, compounded by a deepening fuel crisis, have forced hospitals to rely on costly diesel from the black market—where prices can reach US$10–13 per litre, more than seven times the official rate. The inflated costs and unreliable supply place immense strain on facilities, disrupting laboratory services, compromising vaccine storage, and interrupting critical care.
In response, UNDP and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria launched the Smart Health Facilities initiative in 2023, a $2.21 million programme to secure reliable energy for medical services and expand healthcare access. The project, due for completion in 2025, includes installing solar systems at 14 facilities—11 of them district hospitals—representing about 20 percent of the country’s district-level health capacity.
“Rocketing fuel prices and regular outages from the national grid mean hospitals are often forced to limit generator use to only the most critical functions. In some cases, families have had to purchase fuel, sometimes on the black market, to keep essential services such as the morgue refrigeration running,” said Coralie Kowalski, UNDP Green Energy Specialist. “The Smart Facilities for Health offers a sustainable solution to these energy challenges, helping build a more reliable, cost-efficient, and climate-resilient healthcare system in Burundi.”
UNDP Green Energy Specialist Agata Socha during a site visit to the Rutovu hospital in Burundi in August 2024.
Together, the 14 sites will deliver a combined capacity of 640 kWp of solar energy and 1,545 kWh of battery storage, resulting in an annual reduction of approximately 548,3 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The initiative also integrates Internet of Things (IoT) technology at all 14 sites, with sensors tracking power use, detecting outages, monitoring high-demand equipment, and ensuring safe storage of medicines and vaccines. This provides health facility managers, healthcare staff and IT personnel with real-time insights to identify potential vulnerabilities or operational issues early.
C19RM: Protecting health gains amid crisis
The initiative is funded through the Global Fund’s US$4.7 billion COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), which was established to help countries globally mitigate the impact of the pandemic on essential health services. In Burundi, C19RM support is focused on ensuring that people affected by HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria continue to receive the care they need even in the face of energy disruptions. At the same time, it contributes to strengthening broader systems for health and pandemic preparedness.
“Facilities that reliably keep HIV, TB and malaria medicines cool and dry—preserving their safety and preventing spoilage—also ensure that services remain accessible to stop disease outbreaks before they escalate,” said Muna Shalita, who coordinates the Global Fund programme at UNDP Burundi. “And savings from reduced diesel consumption enable more to be spent on medicines and health workers, all while cutting emissions.”
“Clean energy and real-time data are real wins for the health of people and the planet,” Muna further highlighted.
The initiative is being carried out in two phases:
- Phase 1 targets five high-priority health facilities in the country. Initially focused on powering laboratories, the scope was expanded to electrify entire facilities, including laboratories, maternity units, pharmacies, operating theatres, and outpatient and inpatient wards.
- Phase 2 includes nine additional district hospitals located across several provinces. These sites were selected based on the severity of their energy challenges and their strategic role in national healthcare delivery.
Each solar system follows the UN-recognized 7-Step Process, a standardized approach that ensures strong planning, reliable deployment, and long-term sustainability. A key focus is building local capacity, since solar systems in low-resource settings often fail within the first few years without proper maintenance.
To prevent this, each site has a three-year operations and maintenance plan, remote monitoring from UNDP experts, and training for hospital staff. To date, two technical training sessions have been delivered for hospital staff in Burundi, equipping them with the skills to monitor, manage and take ownership of system upkeep.
Local health facilities directors and Global Fund colleagues participate in a technical training session led by a UNDP Green Energy Specialists.
Supporting a resilient, interconnected health system
By addressing Burundi’s interconnected energy and health challenges, this initiative demonstrates how targeted investments through the Global Fund’s C19RM grant can deliver both immediate service improvements and long-term systems change. It reinforces the essential role of sustainable energy in enabling equitable, resilient healthcare and contributes to broader national development priorities.
As the project moves ahead in 2025, next steps will focus on completing installations, expanding technical training, and ensuring long-term system sustainability by building local capacity and continued monitoring.
Installing the first solar panels at SWAA Burundi HIV care centre in Bujumbura.