The Swiss Ambassador to Tanzania, Dr. Didier Chassot, has officially launched the Kingani 56Kw Solar System at the Ifakara Health Institute’s Clinical Trials Facility in Bagamoyo today. The solar system project is collaborative initiative between Ifakara, the Swiss TPH, Rudolf Geigy foundation and other stakeholders.

Dr. Chassot unveiled the system alongside Ifakara Chief Executive Director, Dr. Honorati Masanja. Invited guests at the launching event included Head of the Interventions and Clinical Trials, Dr. Ally Olotu. The project will largely benefit his department.

The project was conceived in 2014 to address persistent power challenges at the Institute’s Clinical Trials Facility based at Kingani in Bagamoyo. Due to the sensitivity of clinical trial activities, it's critical to have stable and consistent power supply to run the various equipment and laboratory facilities all the time. Additionally, the solar system solution is expected to relieve the Institute of a huge burden of electricity bills and fuel costs incurred to run standby generators during power outages.

The assessment for the solar system project was made by a Swiss engineering company based in Arusha and afterwards, the Swiss TPH rallied support from different donors and together were able to raise USD 200,000 for the project by the end of 2018. Installation of equipment commenced in November 2019 and was completed in March this year.

The system has an installed maximum capacity of 56Kw/h enough to run all critical areas of the Clinical Trails Facility for 8-10 hours during the day.

After officially launching the solar system, Dr. Chassot delivered opening remarks and made a brief tour of Ifakara research platforms, including vector control product testing facilities, the labs, the clinical trials facility and the training center. The long standing Ifakara partner, Swiss TPH, which also contributed to the solar project, authored a story about the event on their website.

View photos from the event.

The following Swiss organizations sponsored the project: Swiss TPH;     R. Geigy-Stiftung, Basel; IWB Öko-Impuls, Basel; Primeo Energie; SENN, St. Gallen; Innlab AG, Allschwil Gerber-Vogt AG, Allschwil; Jaisli-Xamax AG, Dietikon; Therese + Stefan Mörgeli, and Feldmeilen; Kunz.

Other sponsors include Mösch GmbH, Basel; Pro Engineering AG, Basel; Waldhauser + Hermann AG, Münchenstein; Itten+Brechbühl AG, Basel; BLKB, Liestal; Burckhardt + Partner AG, Basel; Marti AG, Basel
R. Häsler AG, Möhlin; Rosenmund Haustechnik AG, Basel; Ulaga Weiss AG, Basel; Laborplaner Tonelli AG, Gelterkinden; and Dieter Kraus, Fräschels. #