When a mini-grid project came to Atigagome, a remote island in the middle of Ghana’s Lake Volta, the kerosene lamps people had been using became decorative pieces that were hung on the walls—a reminder that the island’s days of darkness were over.

But the village not only gave up kerosene lamps and candles: it also attracted people like Seth Hormuku, who migrated to the island once a stable electricity supply was being provided to the local community. “There is no dumsor (power cuts) in this village, and so we are better off than the city people,” he said. “And the only time someone loses power is when they don’t put enough credit into it.” Hormuku wants a brighter future for his children and family, literally.

A 22.5 KW solar-diesel hybrid mini-grid system serves Atigagome, which has more than 70 households, and where people have expressed interest in starting economic activities, such as corn mills and small shops.