Development partners like USAID and electricity companies realize the need to have reliable data about existing power grids in rural communities in Sierra Leone. To make the provision of electricity affordable and efficient, there must be reliable data and information such as the number of poles to be erected in the community, the approximate number of households, and the roads within the community to make rational decisions. There has been erection of utility poles, wiring, and construction of solar-powered stations across the country. Sierra Leone is experiencing significant growth in the use of renewable energy. 2.1 Trajectory of YouthMappers in Sierra Leone The growing need to access and use geospatial information at a more cost-effective rate and the provision of electricity across the country have led to the development of methodologies to create and utilize geospatial information that can be used in making decisions relating to the generation, supply, and distribution of electricity. These issues directly speak to the need to address SDG 7 for clean reliable energy for all, as well as the larger development potential of West Africa represented by SDG 9, regarding industry and innovation. Economic development can be constrained in general when this industry is not ubiquitous, and innovation is stifled. Women, girls, and children living in rural communities are the most affected. The low level of access has had crippling effects on the economic growth and human capital development of the country. Approximately, only 15% of the Sierra Leone’s population have access to electricity that is derived from fossil fuel. Similarly, access to electricity is also a huge challenge that affects the livelihood of West Africans, especially those in rural communities, where there is limited access to electricity when compared to urban communities and advanced communities around the world. The lack of information, especially geospatial information, has made decision-making difficult and sometimes wrong or unreliable when they are made available.

In this chapter, we look at an innovative example from the YouthMappers chapters in Sierra Leone regarding both limitations. Limited access to information and electricity are related challenges affecting West Africans.

Grid mapping