Kaungwe, Malawi – May 29, 2025
In a major step toward sustainable development in rural Malawi, Belgian start-up Global High Technology Industries (G-HiTech) inaugurated its first solar energy installation at Kaungwe School, located an hour from the capital, Lilongwe. The event was attended by Malawi’s Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, the Belgian Ambassador, and the AWEX representative in Southern Africa.
This marks the beginning of the B-EES project (Belgium-funded Electrical Energy from Schools), supported through a €700,000 grant from FINEXPO and an additional €159,312 from Wallonie Entreprendre. The project aims to deliver clean, productive electricity to 45 schools across Malawi through G-HiTech’s proprietary off-grid solar system, the Global Energy Supply System (G-ESS).
Originally designed to power both schools and nearby income-generating activities, the initiative has encountered challenges. Many of the selected schools are in remote rural areas with no immediate access to such businesses, complicating the original model that linked electricity provision to community revenue generation.
In response, G-HiTech has adapted its approach. At Kaungwe School, for instance, the company installed not just the solar infrastructure but also a peanut oil press machine, valued at €1,500, to help generate local income and ensure the sustainability of the system. This change is currently being negotiated as a formal amendment to the agreement with Malawi’s Ministry of Education.
While the project faced initial delays due to administrative bottlenecks and customs issues—the company is optimistic about completing the remaining installations by October 2025. The presence of national media and senior officials at the inauguration helped emphasize the urgency and importance of accelerating the rollout, especially with national elections scheduled for September.
In a country where only 25.9% of the population has access to electricity—dropping to just 5% in rural areas—the impact of this project is potentially transformative. However, demonstrating the full value of G-HiTech’s interconnected energy system will depend on future installations enabling the originally envisioned energy-sharing model.
For now, the inauguration of Kaungwe School stands as a milestone: a beacon of Belgian innovation and a concrete example of how international partnerships can bring practical, sustainable solutions to underserved communities.