West Africa's first luxury safari lodge will soon be energy self-sufficient

EWIA will soon be supplying another company with solar power, namely Zaina Lodge in Mole National Park (we announced the deal recently). Everything is now finalized, the contracts have been signed, and our 15th customer in Ghana will soon be saving money and enjoying green, uninterrupted power.

Zaina Lodge is the first luxury safari lodge in West Africa and is located in the middle of the country's first wildlife reserve, which was established in the 1950s. Mole National Park (pronounced “Moh-lay”) now covers 4,577 square kilometers of pristine forest in the Guinea savanna in northern Ghana and is the largest and best developed of the country's seven recognized national parks and 21 protected areas.

Zaina Lodge combines tradition and modernity

Zaina Lodge has 24 unique and spacious tented chalets.

Each chalet tent offers spectacular views of the vast forest savannah of Mole National Park, and each room is decorated in typical safari style and furnished with hand-picked furniture from the best Ghanaian artisans. However, tradition and modernity flow seamlessly together here, as the tents also have air conditioning and WiFi – which is precisely why a contemporary, environmentally friendly, and reliable energy supply is required.

National parks are all about conserving nature, flora, and fauna. Naturally, this philosophy also extends to energy consumption. The operators of Zaina Lodge have therefore opted for solar power. We will soon begin construction of a 51 kWp ground-mounted system.

Joining forces to protect animals

This is the first time we are working with Infra Futura as an EPC partner, an African subsidiary of Stella Futura from Sweden founded in 2023. Our philosophies complement each other perfectly here, because not only does Infra Futura also provide training, but like us, they place particular emphasis on well-trained women and run a special “Women on the Roofs” program.

We are also pooling our expertise because, for the first time, we are facing a challenge that requires a smart and practical solution for the open-space facility: the protection of wildlife, or rather protection from wildlife. Fortunately, there is a lot of it here.

The biodiversity in Mole is impressive, with 742 species of vascular plants and over 90 species of mammals, including 5 species of primates. The predominant vegetation is open savanna woodland with grasses that can grow up to 3 m high during the rainy season. Open areas of short grassland, known as bovals, are found in places with flat soils and iron pans. Narrow strips of riverine forest grow along most streams.

The large mammals most commonly found in the park include elephants, kobs (an antelope similar to waterbucks), waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, hartebeests, buffalos, various duikers, oribis, baboons, patas, and vervet monkeys. The number of elephants in the park today is around 600-800, which is significantly higher than in the 1970s.

The park is also an international destination for avid birdwatchers, with numerous endemic species. There are at least 344 bird species to be seen, some of which are spectacular, such as the carmine bee-eater and the saddle-billed stork, to name but a few.

If you would like to get an impression of the national park and Zaina Lodge, why not take a look at the lodge's Instagram account?