Overcome Africa’s Energy poverty by implementing Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All)

Nairobi-Kenya, 6 December 2012- The NEPAD Agency and UNDP in response to CEMA Resolutions,  jointly organized a workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya  3-4 December  2012, on Sustainable Energy for All for the representative member States, Regional Economic  communities ( REC’s) African Union Commission(AUC),  Africa Development Bank ( AfDB), specialized Institutions ,UN Agencies, civil societies, donor partners, and Academia . 

The Workshop is a follow up on the recommendations made by the meeting on “Developing Africa’s Response to Sustainable Energy for All” held in Nairobi, September 19 - 21, 2012, pertaining to the need for Africa to develop its response to SA4Alll and  guidelines for the development of the Action Plans to implement its programmes towards achieving the objectives of SE4ALL.”

Specifically, the objectives of the workshop were to review the draft document prepared for the guidelines of Action Plan, its elements and logical framework and assess capacity issues.

By finalising its response to Sustainable Energy for All, an initiative led by UN General Secretary, Mr  Ban Ki Moon, Africa under the leadership of AU-NEPAD with the technical support of UNDP has no other option except  to maximise and better manage its use of energy resources in order to seize the far reaching opportunities that SE4ALL Initiative opens  for the continent to advance its national, regional, and continental sustainable energy agenda regarding universal energy accessibility,  doubling the share of renewable energy resources in the overall energy mix and doubling the rate of improvement of energy efficiency. 

To that end, there is a need to establish an African SE4ALL Coordinating structure. The AUC, the NEPAD Agency and the AfDB are tasked to lead the process of coordinating as well as monitoring the implementation of the SEALL.  The hub will have a governing structure made of the executives of the three institutions. The operational function of the incubation hub will be hosted by AfDB while also ensuring that the operation structure of the hub with RECs, specialized institutions, civil societies, UN Agencies, private sectors, national focal points should be strengthened in the functioning of this structure. 

In his closing remarks Prof Mosad Elmissiry, Head of Energy Programme at the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency reiterates that ‘’NEPAD is fully committed on SE4All’’ and that, “together with UNDP they will drive the finalisation of the Guidelines and ensure that they address the requirements of a coherent Action Plan which realises the overall SE4ALL objectives, including organized structures at the grassroots to reach un-served and underserved populations’’.

The workshop has made amongst other recommendations the following:  

Recognizes the significant contribution that PIDA PAP Energy priority projects in the realisation of the SE4ALL objectives in the African continent and, further recommends strengthening the linkage between PIDA and SE4ALL. 

Recognizes also the important role that the Africa-EU Energy Partnership plays in achieving the goal of SE4ALL 

Highlights the importance of striking a reasonable balance between centralized and decentralized energy solutions in realizing the overall SE4ALL objectives, including organized structures at the grassroots to reach un-served and underserved populations;

Encourages the provisions of incentives to enable the development of decentralized renewable energy systems.

In July, during the Africa Region’s Resident Representatives Cluster meeting, the UNDP Administrator, Mrs. Helen Clark, highlighted the critical importance of energy as one of the Priorities for sustainable human development in Africa. Mrs. Clark said, “African countries are among the 55 nations worldwide that have signed on to the initiative. It is therefore my pleasure to note that 22 African Countries are making steady progress in this regard and have already completed a rapid assessment and gap analysis report for the Sustainable Energy for All initiative”.  This is a UNDP commitment taken at a high level.

For technical enquiries, please contact:

NEPAD:  Prof. M.M.Elmissiry, Head Energy Programmes, , +27718621559

UNDP: M. Gregory Woodsworth, Energy policy Advisor, +27(0) 72 5743939, 

UNDP: M. Aboubacar Oualy, Regional Energy Project Coordinator, a.i, + 221 775294329 

For media replies and other press enquiries please contact:

M. Erick Foadey , Communication Specialist,                                                    

M. Tahir Basse, Knowledge Management and Communication Expert,                        

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Together we can beat poverty ! 

The five villages sponsored by the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Zinedine Zidane are:

Badougou Nafadji

Kirina
Kamalé Soba
Bancoumana
Kollé

Do the same and sponsor a multifunctional platform in one of the 5000 villages in Mali!
For any contributions or additional information, please contact:
The Programme:
PNUD MALI Immeuble Alou Diarra, ACI 2000
www.undp.org.ml
BP 120 Bamako Mali
TEL:  +223 72 69 52 12 | +223 44 98 30 08 
or
National Coordination Unit:
BP 56 Sévaré Mopti Mali
TEL:  +223 66 75 51 98

 Dr. Fodé Ndiaye: "Sustainable energy is a key driver of economic growth, a key issue that affects all aspects of sustainable development."

On May 25, The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Foumakoye Gado, launched the Multifunctional Platform Development Project in the village of Forguey Gorou (Simiri, Tillabéry region). Also present were the UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Fode Ndiaye, and the Programme Officer of the Luxembourg Cooperation.
The project aims to promote energy in the fight against rural poverty with the support of the United Nations Development Programme and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation.
By the end of 2012, forty (40) villages in three regions (Tillabéry, Dosso, Maradi) will have benefited from the activities of the multifunctional platform development project. The cost of this pilot project amounts to EUR 777,214.00 (CFA 509,818,963.00) or, on average, a total cost of CFA 8,284,080.95 per multifunctional platform (MFP).
The multifunctional platform is a power source comprised of a frame on which a simple, robust motor is placed with a three-phase alternator that provides mechanical and electrical energy to various pieces of equipment, such as huskers, cereal mills, grinders, battery chargers, welding equipment, mini electricity grids and water distribution systems.
To achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, at least two thirds of the population of Niger, more than 12 million inhabitants (in 2015), should have access to energy services. The Government of Niger intends to do so through the National Energy Services Access Reference Programme.
The overarching goal of the MFP development project is to provide reliable, sustainable and economically feasible energy services that directly contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and reducing poverty. As a pilot project, the expected results are: i) the gradual introduction, in collaboration with the private sector, of 40 new MFP enterprises in the three regions of Dosso, Maradi and Tillabéry; ii) the establishment of an organization capable of taking structural measures, which would be responsible for supporting community-based organizations and promoting private stakeholders; iii) the networking of MFP enterprises, technical services providers, public partners and NGOs; iv) the establishment of a network of MFP integration experts, led by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
In launching the project, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum urged the communities of Forguey Gorou to make good use of this valuable tool and welcome this "gift from heaven" which has been given to their village.
According to the UNDP Resident Representative, "sustainable energy is a key driver of economic growth, a key issue that affects all aspects of sustainable development". He added that the United Nations has acknowledged that fact "by having 2012 proclaimed the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All".
Acting as a development centre, the multifunctional platform installed in the village of Forguey Gorou combines various tools: grinding mills, huskers, alternators, battery chargers, welding tools and electricity-generating equipment. With its multiple functions, this simple machine frees women from completing long and laborious chores, and allows them time to generate new income streams. The time saved allows them to pursue self-improvement opportunities, often by taking literacy classes in buildings where electricity is provided by the platform itself.
To ensure the sustainability of project results, MFP development was preceded by a number of already undertaken and on-going activities, including: i) training on participatory feasibility studies; ii) training of artisans on manufacturing and installation of MPFs; iii) feasibility studies in targeted villages; iv) initial literacy training; vi) the establishment of women's groups to manage MPFs; vii) training potential providers and NGOs on manufacturing and installation of MPF accessories.
………………………………………

Harnessing the Potential of Africa to Achieve Sustainable Energy for All
Nairobi, Kenya, December 3, 2012 - The year 2012 was declared ''Year of Sustainable Energy for All'' by the African Union. However, despite its huge energy potential, Africa is still unable to guarantee universal access to modern energy services for its people.
In launching the initiative Sustainable Energy for All in 2011, the United Nations called for the mobilization of all stakeholders to make Sustainable Energy for All a reality by 2030. 
As part of these efforts, from 3 to 4 December, a workshop will be held in Nairobi, Kenya to lay the foundations for Africa's response to the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, also referred to as SE4ALL. 
Organised by the NEPAD Agency and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the workshop follows on from previous workshops held in Nairobi from 19 to 21 September and from 26 to 27 November 2012, which—with comprehensive momentum and the participation of the Regional Economic Communities, the African Platform for Development Effectiveness (APDev) of AU/NEPAD, civil society organizations, the African Development Bank (ADB) and UNDP—paved the way for the sustainable energy programmes to be coherently implemented all over the continent. 
Speaking at the opening of the workshop on behalf of the absent Kenyan Minister of Energy, Patrick M. Nyoike, the Chief of Staff said that the conclusions of the workshop should lay the foundations to efficiently implement energy programs that are accessible to all and ''finalize the guidelines for developing sustainable energy to eradicate the energy poverty suffered by millions of Africans''. 
Based on the resolutions of the Conference of African Energy Ministers (CEMA), the NEPAD Agency, together with the Commission of the African Union and the ADB, should coordinate the implementation of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. 
Professor Mosad Elmissiry (Head of the Energy Department of NEPAD) affirmed: "The NEPAD Agency is committed to advancing the initiative and making it a reality by ensuring the action plans that are to be developed take into account the needs of countries.'' Therefore, countries must take into account governments, the private sector and civil society, without neglecting gender and youth.   
The UNDP, on its part, has already pledged to proceed with the analysis of energy needs and energy gaps in all AU member states.  
To date, the study has been completed in 26 countries.
The workshop sets out to achieve the following objectives:
 - Finalizing the guidelines to ensure the requirements of Action Plans are met;
- Reviewing the roadmap to implement the Action Plans; 
- Resolving priority issues related to investment in energy projects;
- Assessing capacities and technical assistance needed to implement the Action Plans.
As stated by Dr. Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Agency, in the preface to the African response to the initiative, Sustainable Energy for All will not be possible "unless governments, the private sector and civil society are mobilised'' and ''the process requires rigorous consistency to facilitate appropriate stakeholder ownership". 
In view of the enormous energy potential of the continent, there is reason to be hopeful that in the context of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) of AU/NEPAD, with careful planning and the mobilization of domestic funds, Africa can ensure universal access to modern energy services and double the improvement rate of energy efficiency by 2030.    

Download  more info from : http://www.pnud.ne/noteforgueygorou.pdf

Source : http://www.pnud.ne/NotePTFMForgueyGorou.html

The ECOWAS White Paper on Access to Energy Services

A regional policy on access to energy services for rural and peri-urban dwellers aimed at attaining the Millennium Development Goals, ECOWAS/UEMOA.

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The Multifunctional Platform: Energy at the heart of the village !

The platform is designed to replace the women and men who previously acted as the power source at the bottom of the energy ladder.
It constitutes an appropriate response to the problem of energy poverty.
The lack of access to modern energy services is too often a reality in African villages and widely stalls development, particularly affecting rural women.
The average day of a wife and mother begins before dawn and ends long after nightfall, by which time she will have finished preparing meals, taking care of children, feeding livestock, tending to crops and fetching enough water from different sources. With the introduction of multifunctional platforms in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mali, a giant step has been taken towards breaking the vicious cycle of "gender-energy-poverty" by saving the time and energy of the most vulnerable members of the community. Now these people can devote more time to productive and income-generating activities.
Furthermore, by bringing electricity right into the heart of the village, the Platform literally lights up the lives of all community members.

Household surveys assessing time management indicated that the introduction of multifunctional platforms reduced the time women spent on domestic chores (such as agro-processing and food preparation) by between two and six hours. In almost all the villages studied, the platforms have helped to increase agricultural output, especially the production of shea butter, rice and corn.
The mechanization of traditional tasks, such as milling and grinding, has also helped farmers to boost their value-added production and to raise the quality of their products. As a result, women’s income has increased and diversified. Other benefits for women include empowerment, higher schooling rates for girls and better health.

Thanks to the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and in partnership with the governments of Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso, multifunctional platforms have been installed in villages throughout the region's countries during recent years under the regional energy and poverty programme.
Dr. Fodé Ndiaye: "Sustainable energy is a key driver of economic growth, a key issue that affects all aspects of sustainable development."
On May 25, The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Foumakoye Gado, launched the Multifunctional Platform Development Project in the village of Forguey Gorou (Simiri, Tillabéry region). Also present were the UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Fode Ndiaye, and the Programme Officer of the Luxembourg Cooperation.
The project aims to promote energy in the fight against rural poverty with the support of the United Nations Development Programme and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation.
By the end of 2012, forty (40) villages in three regions (Tillabéry, Dosso, Maradi) will have benefited from the activities of the multifunctional platform development project. The cost of this pilot project amounts to EUR 777,214.00 (CFA 509,818,963.00) or, on average, a total cost of CFA 8,284,080.95 per multifunctional platform (MFP).
The multifunctional platform is a power source comprised of a frame on which a simple, robust motor is placed with a three-phase alternator that provides mechanical and electrical energy to various pieces of equipment, such as huskers, cereal mills, grinders, battery chargers, welding equipment, mini electricity grids and water distribution systems.
To achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, at least two thirds of the population of Niger, more than 12 million inhabitants (in 2015), should have access to energy services. The Government of Niger intends to do so through the National Energy Services Access Reference Programme.
The overarching goal of the MFP development project is to provide reliable, sustainable and economically feasible energy services that directly contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and reducing poverty. As a pilot project, the expected results are: i) the gradual introduction, in collaboration with the private sector, of 40 new MFP enterprises in the three regions of Dosso, Maradi and Tillabéry; ii) the establishment of an organization capable of taking structural measures, which would be responsible for supporting community-based organizations and promoting private stakeholders; iii) the networking of MFP enterprises, technical services providers, public partners and NGOs; iv) the establishment of a network of MFP integration experts, led by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
In launching the project, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum urged the communities of Forguey Gorou to make good use of this valuable tool and welcome this "gift from heaven" which has been given to their village.
According to the UNDP Resident Representative, "sustainable energy is a key driver of economic growth, a key issue that affects all aspects of sustainable development". He added that the United Nations has acknowledged that fact "by having 2012 proclaimed the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All".
Acting as a development centre, the multifunctional platform installed in the village of Forguey Gorou combines various tools: grinding mills, huskers, alternators, battery chargers, welding tools and electricity-generating equipment. With its multiple functions, this simple machine frees women from completing long and laborious chores, and allows them time to generate new income streams. The time saved allows them to pursue self-improvement opportunities, often by taking literacy classes in buildings where electricity is provided by the platform itself.
To ensure the sustainability of project results, MFP development was preceded by a number of already undertaken and on-going activities, including: i) training on participatory feasibility studies;

ii) training of artisans on manufacturing and installation of MPFs;

iii) feasibility studies in targeted villages;

iv) initial literacy training;

vi) the establishment of women's groups to manage MPFs; vii) training potential providers and NGOs on manufacturing and installation of MPF accessories.

The lack of access to energy services is a major development problem

The ECOWAS Member States recognize that although the issue of access to energy services is not explicitly mentioned in the MDGs, it is a regional priority and a major development problem which is acknowledged by the entire international community.

UNDP shares this view of the access to energy services with ECOWAS, the Member States and all development stakeholders.

According to a joint study conducted by the International Energy Agency, UNDP and UNIDO, universal access to modern energy is achievable by 2030. By doing so, over a billion people would be taken out of extreme energy poverty. The additional investment required totals USD 4 billion per year until 2030.

In order to achieve this, the UNDP has joined other UN agencies in the global campaign to provide every person on the planet with access to modern energy services in the next 20 years.

UNDP also seeks to achieve this goal through its Regional Energy and Poverty Programme (PREP), which was designated as a UNDP mechanism to contribute to this effort, both at regional and ECOWAS Member State levels.

For its part, the UNDP is pleased to acknowledge the strong partnership with the Government of the Republic of Mali in relation to access to energy services and the important results achieved thus far.
…………………………….

The ECOWAS White Paper is the result of a long process undertaken by ECOWAS and UEMOA commissions.
The white paper was the result of a long process of investigation and meetings conducted by ECOWAS and UEMOA commissions, with the support of their technical and financial partners, such as the European Union and the UNDP.

The framework objectives are in line with the large-scale development process undertaken by our regional community, ECOWAS. The role of energy in regional integration, the role of energy as an engine of development, and, in short, the role of energy in life have been illustrated many times over.

In accordance with the commitments made by Heads of State and Government, Member States should continue to implement the White Paper programme by establishing national institutions such as the National Multisectoral Groups (GMN). The GMN work with the support of our technical and financial partners, such as UNDP and the European Union.

Several GMN have achieved tangible results such as the inclusion of access to energy services in policy documents and curricula, and the creation of investment programs.

The group generates an ideal opportunity to share experiences to capitalize on good practices and also to build a network of experts on access to energy services.

Download the allocution.

UEMOA: Regional Economic Programme

A study of the development of a strategy to sustainably solve the electricity crisis affecting UEMOA member states.

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Dr. Coumba Mar Gadio: Mauritania should duplicate the multifunctional platform experience in all regions of the country.

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The ECOWAS White Paper is the result of a long process undertaken by ECOWAS and UEMOA commissions. 

The white paper was the result of a long process of investigation and meetings conducted by ECOWAS and UEMOA commissions, with the support of their technical and financial partners, such as the European Union and the UNDP.

The framework objectives are in line with the large-scale development process undertaken by our regional community, ECOWAS. The role of energy in regional integration, the role of energy as an engine of development, and, in short, the role of energy in life have been illustrated many times over.

In accordance with the commitments made by Heads of State and Government, Member States should continue to implement the White Paper programme by establishing national institutions such as the National Multisectoral Groups (GMN). The GMN work with the support of our technical and financial partners, such as UNDP and the European Union.

Several GMN have achieved tangible results such as the inclusion of access to energy services in policy documents and curricula, and the creation of investment programs.

The group generates an ideal opportunity to share experiences to capitalize on good practices and also to build a network of experts on access to energy services.

El hadj Ibrahima Thiam,
Chair man of ARREC

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Meeting of ECOWAS ministers of energy on ECOWAS support to member states, regulation of energy trade and status of regional programmes and projects in the energy sector 

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