"Sustainable Energy Day" in Madagascar to attract investments and raise awareness of government's energy access ambitions
Antananarivo — 2 July 2024: In a major step towards achieving universal clean energy access in Madagascar, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) hosted a day-long event in collaboration with the Government of Madagascar. The event showcased the achievements of their joint work over the past few years in supporting the government's goal of bridging the energy access gap.
The Sustainable Energy Day mobilised the clean energy sector, including funders, representatives from relevant government agencies, private sector and international organisations, for the launch of the Integrated Energy Access Planning project (IEP). As part of its sustainable development agenda, the Government of Madagascar is committed to closing electricity and clean cooking access gaps and establishing medical and agricultural cold chains to preserve medicines and food. The government, its development partners, and the private sector need a common plan for how to close energy access gaps.
An Integrated Energy Planning tool for electrification, clean cooking and cold chains for agricultural and medical purposes is available.
To help inform the country’s energy access planning, the Government of Madagascar and SEforALL collaborated to develop the Madagascar Integrated Energy Access Plan. Using advanced geospatial modelling techniques, the IEP analyses three interconnected aspects of energy access: electrification, clean cooking, and cold chains for medical and agricultural purposes, to show what and where sustainable energy solutions can be deployed.
In-depth data and analysis for each component of the IEP is available via an online Integrated Energy Access Planning tool, to ensure that actionable location intelligence can support implementation plans for the Government of Madagascar, development partners and private sector. This information helps users identify which energy solutions are optimal for different locations based on cost, accessibility, and other factors; pinpoint energy demands within different communities; and highlight opportunities to integrate efforts towards electrification, clean cooking and cold chains that will deliver progress across multiple areas, such as electric cooking. This platform is owned and managed by the Ministry of Energy and Hydrocarbons with support from SEforALL.
“This plan is a powerful tool for making strategic decisions in accordance with our climate goals, particularly our efforts to expand access to clean energy solutions for our population. Working together with SEforALL has helped us obtain the appropriate advice to achieve SDG7, not only in terms of planning but also in terms of implementation, as evidenced by the success of the Universal Energy Facility, which has been helping the private sector and end-users to access clean energy in communities where there was no power,” said Honorable Olivier Jean-Baptiste, Minister of Energy and Hydrocarbons. “We are unwavering in our commitment to continue working tirelessly to increase the national energy coverage, offering the hope of a better way of life for many Malagasy people.”
The Universal Energy Facility (UEF) offers results-based subsidies to private rural electrification operators.
Since 2020, The Universal Energy Facility, a results-based financing (RBF) multi-donor fund managed by SEforALL, has signed 30 grant agreements with 4 local clean energy companies, targeting 12,400 new electricity connections for households, businesses, schools, and health centers powered by isolated solar mini-grids. To date, 27 mini-grids have been installed, with more than 5,600 new verified connections benefiting approximately 25,000 people. Over 3,000 potential additional connections have been identified and are awaiting funding. As a result of these accomplishments, Madagascar has become a flagship country for the UEF.
“Today, we can witness first-hand the steady commitment of the Government of Madagascar in providing access to clean energy to the entire population. Our partners can count on the Integrated Energy Access Planning tool to strategically address pressing energy needs, as they can also see in the UEF, a successful mechanism to electrify off-grid communities whilst guaranteeing an efficient use of funds thanks to our results-based approach. All of this translates into more opportunities, green jobs, electrified schools and health centers, businesses generating income, and, ultimately, a better life for many people.” said Anita Otubu, Head of the Delegation of SEforALL and Senior Director of the Universal Energy Facility.
Focus on the electrification of public social infrastructures
Most recently, SEforALL strengthened its collaboration with the Government of Madagascar to undertake market analyses and initiate energy planning processes. This will provide the government, development partners, private sector, and sustainable energy key players with actionable data, market intelligence, and tools to accelerate energy access in Madagascar.
As part of this effort, SEforALL launched the Powering Healthcare in Madagascar: Market Assessment and Roadmap for Health Facility Electrification report earlier this year, revealing that approximately 75% of basic healthcare centers have no access to electricity or are equipped with a single independent solar refrigerator. Around 2300 health facilities could be sustainably electrified by 2030, which will require a total investment of USD 83 million over the next 10 years. The proposed roadmap adopts a mainly bottom-up approach, starting with the health facilities and their desire to improve their healthcare services, notably through sustainable electrification.
Additionally, under its broader Powering Social Infrastructure programme, SEforALL is studying the state of electrification in education facilities in Madagascar. Initial findings indicate that 96% of schools lack reliable access to electricity, and only 5% of school canteens are equipped with clean cooking solutions. A detailed study and analysis will shed light on how to overcome challenges like the lack of data and coordination and limited funding, that hinder the sustainable electrification of schools in the country.
SEforALL has also provided dedicated capacity-building workshops on geospatial tools and data management to Government of Madagascar staff and other stakeholders. It has also supported government officials in attending intensive external training courses to build relevant skills in energy access planning and regulatory frameworks.
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Contact
Louis Tavernier, Country Coordinator Madagascar
José Otárola-Silesky, Communications Specialist (UEF)
Jose.otarola-silesky@seforall.org
Notes to Editor
Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization that works in partnership with the United Nations and leaders in government, the private sector, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies to drive faster action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 – in line with the Paris Agreement on climate.
Together with its partners in Madagascar, The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Power Africa, Shell Foundation, The Carbon Trust, Good Energies Foundation, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA), Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), Loughborough University, Bezos Earth Fund and The OPEC Fund, the organization works to ensure a clean energy transition that leaves no one behind and brings new opportunities for everyone to fulfil their potential.