Chad

By Fatimé Mahamat Ngarayo BITKINE, CHAD — As twilight descends over the central Chadian town of Bitkine, a warm glow spills from a solar-powered streetlamp, illuminating a bustling corner where children kick a deflated football, vendors sell fried dough, and young women chat outside their homes. Just a few years ago, this scene would have unfolded in near-total darkness. In one of Africa’s least electrified nations—where nearly 90% of the population lives without reliable access to electricity—a quiet revolution is underway. Across Chad, communities once plunged into nightly blackouts are discovering a new kind of independence: solar-powered energy. "We used to rely on candles or kerosene lamps. They were expensive—and dangerous,"...