Regional Workshop on Access to Modern Energy Services

“Policies Practices and Knowledge Sharing”

Topic: “Participatory Capacity Needs Assessment in ECOWAS Member States”

By:Frank O. Atta-Owusu

Snr. Projects Manager, KITENovember, 2009, Pullman Hotel, Dakar-

Senegal

Outline

1. Definitions

2. Introduction

3. Findings

4. Articulated Capacity Building Needs

5. Recommendations

2

Definitions

The UNDP defines capacity as “the ability of individuals, institutions and societies to perform functions, solve problems, and set and achieve objectives in a sustainable manner”. Capacity development is thereby the process through which the abilities to do so are obtained, strengthened, adapted and maintained over time.

The UNDP definition of capacity development focuses on three key elements namely:

Policy and legal frameworks Institutional structures and procedures; and Human resources, including technical and functional capacity

A capacity assessment is defined as an analysis of current capacities against desired future capacities, which generates an understanding of capacity assets and needs, which in turn leads to the formulation of capacity development strategies (UNDP, 2007).

3

Context

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and UNDP sponsored country level specific energy access capacity development needs assessments across the West African region in August, 2009.

Objective The objective of the “Participatory Capacity Building Needs

Assessment” is to identify capacity-building needs of ECOWAS Member states to ensure improved access to energy services for rural and peri-urban populations for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

Stakeholders/participants Energy and non energy non energy sector institutions (priority sectors

identified in the PRSPs of member states) Eg. Health, Agriculture, Education, Water and Sanitation, Communication, etc

4

Introduction (Cont.)

Methodology A qualitative approach was used to collect and analyse

diverse information. Open and closed ended interviews were conducted to collect detail views from energy access stakeholders in the Member States

The survey instrument was developed based on 10-point functional capacity areas relating to access to energy services for rural and peri-urban populations:

 Vision, Leadership, Strategies and programmes

5

Introduction (Cont.)

Organisation and sector institutions Resources Partnerships, Commitment and dedication of actors, Processes, Annual plan of action Results for end-users

6

Key (preliminary) findings

Member states recovering from war (Liberia and Sierra Leone) has not as yet developed the necessary capacity for enhancing access to energy services in rural and peri-urban areas

Energy planning and service delivery in rural and peri-urban areas is largely ad hoc in most member states

Outcome of the capacity needs assessment revealed a great need for political commitment, professional capacity and institutional reforms to provide enhanced access to energy services for the rural and peri-urban populations in member states.

7

Key (preliminary) findings (Cont.)

Respondents were asked to indicate their country’s capacity level in respect of the 10-point functional capacity areas

Using the scale 1-5. Where 1 is defined as, no evidence of relevant capacity; 2 anecdotal evidence of capacity; 3 partially developed capacity; 4 widespread, but not comprehensive evidence of capacity and 5 fully developed capacity

The outcome showed that Liberia and Sierra Leone ranked between 1-2 on most of the functional capacity areas

Ghana and Nigeria ranked between 1-4 on most of the assessed capacity areas

8

Key (preliminary) findings (Cont.)

9

Key (preliminary) findings (Cont.)

Vision : The future plan on access was not defined in national documents such as NEPs, PRSPs and other development documents

Leadership: The energy ministry’s coordination and leadership role on access in most of the countries is weak. Lack of technical experts, fragmentation of energy functions among different MDAs etc

Strategies and programmes: Capacity geared towards designing sustainable energy strategies and programmes in most member states was assessed to be inadequate

10

Key (preliminary) findings (Cont.)

Organisation and sector institutions: The assessment revealed that sector specific institutions and organisations needed for the design and implementation of energy access programmes in rural and peri-urban areas is largely absent in most member states

Resources: In adequate funding and energy professionals was identified as a key challenge. Ghana and Nigeria however have latent capacity that can be harnessed for energy access in rural and peri-urban areas

11

Key (preliminary) findings (Cont.)

Partnerships: identified limited numbers of bilateral and multilateral partners who provide both technical and financial support for access to energy services in rural and peri-urban areas – capacity to engage and negotiate with partners is largely lacking

Commitment and dedication of actors: Dormant NMGs were identified in all the countries. Stakeholders cited lack of dedicated resources for their activities and the absence of a champion as contributory factors for the absence of a consultative process on access to energy

12

Key (preliminary) findings (Cont.)

Processes: Identified Limited involvement of non energy sectors in the planning and delivery of services to rural and peri-urban populations. Lack of institutional framework for monitoring and evaluating access programmes in most countries

Annual plan of action: Apart from Ghana and Nigeria, the other 2 countries do not have multi/annual year strategic plans on energy

Results for end-users: available results for end-users shows that that many households and public institutions such as clinics, schools, and agriculture facilities in the peri-urban and rural areas do not have access to modern energy services.

13

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

14

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Vision

Awareness creation among national authorities including the legislature on access to energy services in rural and peri-urban areas

Mainstream access to energy services in national development documents such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP)

Technical support and capacity building for policy formulation

Stimulation of political commitment on access to energy services in rural and peri-urban

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

15

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Leadership

Institutionalizing the national consultative group on access to energy services

Restructure the Energy Division of the Ministry of Energy with key technical departments responsible for the various energy subsectors

Enhanced leadership from the Ministry of Energy to coordinate activities relating to access to access

Energy experts to manage the energy division of the Ministry of Energy

Consolidation of the energy subsectors under the Ministry of Energy

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

16

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Strategies and Programmes

Technical and institutional support for the development of an integrated approach to energy service delivery

Technical support for the development of Strategic National Energy Plan

Formulate national access programmes for rural and peri-urban locations

Technical support for the development of energy master plan for rural and peri-urban locations

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

17

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Organisation and Sector Institutions

Establish national institutions focusing on access to energy services in rural and peri-urban areas

Create a unit in the energy division of the ministry to be responsible for access issues in rural and peri-urban areas

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

18

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Resources

Training of engineers to exploit the hydro potential Rural Energy fund Modern energy technology transfer for public and private sector

stakeholders Mechanism for self financing access projects Introduce innovative approaches in implementing access

programmes Incorporation of energy in sector budgets of energy end-user

institutions Feasibility study on the hydro potential/capacity Expose existing engineers/technicians in priority sectors such as

agriculture and health to modern energy technologies Energy resources assessment Collaborate with the universities/other technical training

institutions to produce the manpower needs of the energy sector Certification/qualifying scheme for artisans in the energy sector

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

19

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Partnership

Collaboration and partnership with both local and international partners on access to energy services

Negotiation skills to effectively engage partners

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

20

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Processes

Development of a participatory process for energy service planning and delivery

Capacity building for planning and modelling energy services for rural and peri-urban areas in Sierra Leone

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

21

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Annual Plan of Action

Annual operational plan on access to energy services

Development of strategic energy plan for access to energy services

Rural Energy Master plan

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

22

Functional Capacity Articulated Needs

Results for End-User and Beneficiaries

Energy needs assessment in rural and peri-urban areas

Ensure availability of energy services for end-users and beneficiaries in rural areas

Productive use of energy services

Recommendations

Focus on building institutional support for access to energy services for rural and peri-urban populations in member states

Focus on strengthening human resources in access institution administration and management and middle and upper level technical manpower development.

Focus on institutionalizing multi-sector consultation on access by establishing National Multisectoral Group on Energy Access that will focus on addressing specific issues of interest to access to energy services in rural and peri-urban areas.

23

Thank you

24