How IEEE Smart Village and Renewable Energy Innovators Cameroon Are Bringing Electricity to Rural Cameroon

More than 30 years ago, in the mountain village of Mbem in northwest Cameroon, young Jude Numfor relied on the moon and stars for light after sunset. Electricity had not yet reached his rural community.

"There was one person in the village with a petrol generator and a small television," Numfor says. "When he turned it on, all the children would run to his house and peep through the window."

That memory became the driving force behind Numfor’s mission: to bring electricity to rural communities like his hometown.

Founding Renewable Energy Innovators Cameroon

To achieve his goal, Numfor cofounded Wireless Light and Power in 2006, later renamed Renewable Energy Innovators (REI) Cameroon, where he serves as CEO. REI Cameroon designs, installs, and maintains solar minigrids for rural electrification. These minigrids use photovoltaic technology and battery-energy storage systems to generate electricity at 50 hertz, distributed through smart meters.

IEEE Smart Village: A Catalyst for Change

In 2017, REI Cameroon received a grant from IEEE Smart Village to expand its minigrid operations and refine its business model. IEEE Smart Village supports projects and organizations that bring electricity, education, and employment opportunities to remote communities worldwide. The program is funded by IEEE societies and donations to the IEEE Foundation.

The partnership has led to the development of an open-source metering system—a free, community-driven solution for tracking energy usage. Unlike proprietary utility meters, this system allows users, researchers, and utilities to view, customize, and verify data collection, ensuring transparency in billing, consumption tracking, and grid management.

"It’s not just about money. We share ideas, we get advice, and we have made friends. Entrepreneurship is lonely, but with the [Smart Village] community, it is different," Numfor says.

From Tinkerer to Social Entrepreneur

Numfor’s first experience with electricity came in 2001, after moving in with a missionary family in the village of Allat. They used solar panels to power their entire home—an unimaginable luxury in Mbem.

"I could watch TV, eat ice cream, and turn on lights," he says. "It made me wish my brothers in Mbem had the same opportunity."

His curiosity about electricity was sparked when a motion-sensor solar light stopped working. Numfor tinkered with the device, replacing the dead battery with a motorcycle battery to restore power for the night. His missionary family encouraged him to study technology and engineering independently, as Cameroon’s universities did not offer solar energy programs at the time. They built him a library filled with books on engineering, management, and entrepreneurship.

In 2006, armed with his new knowledge, Numfor launched Wireless Light and Power with a friend, Ludwig Teichgraber. The nonprofit aimed to replace hazardous kerosene lamps—locally known as "bush lamps"—with rechargeable solar lanterns.