The Lights Are Coming On: How Abu Dhabi Is Powering the World’s Forgotten Corners

On the edge of N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, there is a solar plant that most of the world has never heard of. From the road it looks like nothing special, just rows of panels shimmering in the heat. But for the quarter of a million homes it now powers, everything has changed. The diesel generators have gone quiet. The lights stay on through the night.

The plant is called Noor Chad. It is a 50-megawatt solar facility with battery storage, and it was built in just eight months, in a country where big projects usually take years. The speed surprised everyone in Africa’s energy industry. It also introduced the world to a company that was barely a year old at the time: Global South Utilities, an Abu Dhabi firm owned by Resources Investment. The company is led by its Chairman, Mohammed AlDhaheri, who also serves as Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Resources Investment.

His vision for GSU has been clear from day one: practical solutions, delivered fast, with real impact that people can feel. The real story, however, is what a project like this means for ordinary people. Electricity touches every part of daily life. A shopkeeper who once had to close at sunset can now stay open into the evening. A clinic can keep vaccines cold and treat patients at night.