How effective are Germany’s energy access programs in Sub-Saharan Africa? EfD and SETI fellows, Jörg Ankel-Peters, Gunther Bensch, and Maximiliane Sievert have published two studies to advise an evaluation conducted by the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval). The evaluation, requested by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), examined Germany’s energy access portfolio in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, covering 72 projects.
The first publication, Are rural energy access programs pro-poor? Some are, many are not, raises questions about the effectiveness of energy access programs in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. It challenges the belief that they consistently benefit the poor. The article examines on- and off-grid electrification and improved cooking technologies, finding that these interventions do not automatically achieve pro-poor goals.
Better targeting is needed
The authors argue that many programs fail to reach the most vulnerable populations, which highlights the need for better targeting within these programs. Additionally, the lack of productive use of electricity among those who do gain access suggests that the economic benefits are often limited.
The study suggests that for programs to truly be pro-poor, they must improve their targeting and include end-user price subsidies for all technologies. Energy-efficient biomass cookstoves delivered positive outcomes for the impoverished of the technologies reviewed. The authors conclude that if the goal is to help the most vulnerable, policymakers need to be more deliberate in their approach to ensure that even the most impoverished can afford the technologies.
Cheaper solutions can be more effective
The second publication Cost-effectiveness of rural energy access strategies, argues that while it's difficult to get precise numbers due to varying costs and sustainability factors, it's possible to compare different approaches based on their cost factors, potential impact, and sustainability challenges.
The analysis looked at on-grid and off-grid electrification as well as improved cooking technologies. It found that high-power electrification technologies often have disappointing impacts, making stand-alone solar a more cost-effective electrification strategy in this context. The article concludes by highlighting the high impact-cost ratio of energy-efficient biomass cookstoves, that they are a particularly effective solution.
For more information
Click here to access DEval's summary of the evaluation.
Click here to access the executive summary of the report.
Click here to access the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development's (BMZ) response to the findings.
By Belén Pulgar.