Smiling Through Light delivering electricity access to Sierra Leone with women-focused business model

This case study describes Smiling Through Light, a social enterprise founded by Mariama Kamara to increase electricity access in Sierra Leone through a women-led business model that trains local women as solar technology entrepreneurs.

• Smiling Through Light operates as a social enterprise in Sierra Leone, utilizing a network of women trained as solar technology entrepreneurs to sell solar-powered lamps. This model addresses a significant energy gap in the country, where nationwide electricity access is 13 percent and rural access is only 1 percent.
• The business model prioritizes female empowerment by positioning women as leaders of the energy transition rather than just consumers. Mariama Kamara asserts that women are the most effective salespeople for household energy products due to their understanding of the market and ability to communicate the benefits to other women.
• In 2019, the company created 15 local jobs and sold approximately 700 solar products. Additionally, the 'One Child One Lamp' campaign provided free lighting to about 400 students in Kamayama, an area affected by 2017 mudslides; monitoring indicated that these lamps improved students' grades and their sense of safety at night.
• Mariama Kamara aims to expand the network to 300 to 500 women sellers in Sierra Leone within five years, with potential future expansion into Guinea and Liberia. However, scaling is hindered by funding difficulties and investor risk aversion toward African entrepreneurs, particularly young women.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2019). Smiling Through Light delivering electricity access to Sierra Leone with women-focused business model. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/smiling-through-light-delivering-electricity-access-to-sierra-leone-with-women

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Smiling Through Light delivering electricity access to Sierra Leone with women-focused business model. 2019. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/smiling-through-light-delivering-electricity-access-to-sierra-leone-with-women.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Smiling Through Light delivering electricity access to Sierra Leone with women-focused business model |date=20 August 2019 |url=https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/smiling-through-light-delivering-electricity-access-to-sierra-leone-with-women |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2019smiling, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Smiling Through Light delivering electricity access to Sierra Leone with women-focused business model}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/smiling-through-light-delivering-electricity-access-to-sierra-leone-with-women}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }