Africa has a great opportunity to unlock more human potential and leverage digital inclusion to achieve sustainable development, according to Chief Executive Officer of Siatech Africa, Lanre Olaniyan.

In a statement confirming his company’s completion of a model fully solar-powered city in Liberia, he revealed that the project was never just about power generation but about designing and sustaining smart, green communities that enhance the innovative capacity of citizens.

The groundbreaking initiative fuses clean energy, digital connectivity, and community-driven innovation in one of West Africa’s most ambitious sustainability projects yet.

Designed and implemented by Siatech Africa in partnership with Huawei and Liberian government agencies, the project marks a defining moment in the region’s pursuit of technology-led development and cross-border collaboration.

Built around a smart microgrid architecture, the new solar city, now in operation in the Foya District of Lofa County, allows each neighbourhood to generate and manage its own energy while staying connected to a central grid for backup and efficiency. The system also integrates intelligent load management tools that optimise energy use, minimise waste, and ensure zero downtime — a model that could influence sustainable city planning across the continent.

Beyond energy, the project strengthens Liberia’s digital backbone, featuring microwave-linked radio networks and a planned 4G integration to connect schools, health centres, and small businesses to e-learning and e-health platforms.

“We’re not just deploying solar panels,” Olaniyan added. “We’re integrating intelligent systems that support education, health, and entrepreneurship. This is how energy becomes an enabler of inclusive growth.”

At the heart of Siatech Africa’s model is a deliberate commitment to local collaboration and capacity building. The company worked closely with Liberian energy authorities, universities, and vocational institutions to ensure skills transfer and long-term community ownership.

“We see this as a model for Africa’s future — where governments, private-sector players, and communities co-create sustainable solutions,” said Olaniyan. “Our local partnerships are what make the project resilient and replicable.”

That collaborative spirit also extends to youth empowerment. The solar city includes a tech and vocational training hub where young Liberians are being trained in solar engineering, digital systems management, and smart infrastructure maintenance. Many have already been employed as part of the project’s workforce, gaining practical skills that will serve the country’s broader clean-energy economy.

With the successful completion of the Liberia Solar City, Siatech Africa is now in discussions with partners in Ghana and Sierra Leone to replicate the model across West Africa — a development that underscores the continent’s growing appetite for homegrown solutions to shared challenges.

“This is not an endpoint — it’s a prototype,” Olaniyan noted. “We want to demonstrate that Africa’s growth can be clean, inclusive, and intelligent.”

Supported by a network of renewable energy and telecom partners, the project stands as a living example of how energy, connectivity, and innovation can converge to create smarter, more resilient African communities.