A Youth-led solar energy initiative in Cameroon has emerged as a finalist in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Awards, highlighting how African-led solutions are linking renewable energy, youth employment and community recovery in crisis-affected areas.

The initiative, Solar Bright Future, was selected in the Resilience category of the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards, according to information published on the awards’ official website and made available to journalists by the UN SDG Action Campaign.

The recognition comes as African countries grapple with overlapping challenges of youth unemployment, energy poverty, climate change and displacement, placing greater emphasis on solutions that connect economic opportunities with essential services.

In Cameroon’s conflict-affected Northwest and Southwest regions, Solar Bright Future trains young women and men from internally displaced and host communities in solar-system design, installation and maintenance, enabling them to develop livelihoods while providing electricity to underserved areas.

As of June 2026, an estimated 493,402 people remained internally displaced in the two regions, according to the UN profile, which cites data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees sourced from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The initiative has trained 300 young people as solar technicians and entrepreneurs, supporting them to establish businesses, join energy cooperatives and enter the renewable energy workforce.

Through Solar Bright Solutions, its social enterprise, the programme provides solar products and services to off-grid rural communities, including health-centre maternity facilities.

The UN profile states that the initiative has electrified 712 households and 41 off-grid health-centre maternity facilities. It has also installed cold-storage systems for vaccine preservation, benefiting more than 100,000 women and children annually.

The programme includes persons with disabilities and deliberately creates opportunities for women to enter the solar industry, where they have traditionally been underrepresented.
Its approach links renewable energy deployment with vocational training and community recovery, offering a model relevant to African countries seeking to expand electricity access while creating jobs for young people.

However, sustaining such interventions will require funding for equipment, technical support and maintenance, alongside access to finance and viable markets for trained technicians.

Solar Bright Future’s recognition follows the success of Smartel, a Nigeria-led company that won the Creativity category of the 2025 UN SDG Action Awards for its work on climate-smart food production.

Smartel uses modular hydroponic systems to grow crops without soil, offering an alternative for communities facing limited agricultural land and water scarcity.

According to the UN, the company’s systems have produced thousands of kilogrammes of fresh food for vulnerable communities while reducing water use by up to 90 per cent. Its work also creates livelihood opportunities for women, young people and smallholder farmers.