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How can the Bank support sustainable energy for women?
Energy is a critical binding constraint for economic growth, hence it tends to be prioritized in the National Development Plans as a strategic area for investment in most countries. Despite this, the focus of most Regional Member countries has been on bulk energy, or energy to drive industrialization (energy for production at the macro-level), and less focus has been put on domestic energy, hence the forgotten element is the micro-level energy required for household utilization, which ideally is the responsibility for women.
While it is true that women and girls are responsible for energy procurement, and usage especially cooking fuels; it has be to emphasized that most women in SSA reside in rural areas. Their energy utilization at household level tends to be for cooking, lighting, domestic use and small SMEs. The current energy source in rural areas tends to be wood fuel, cow dung and remains from crop agriculture. The following are suggestions of Bank support to the energy for women:
1) The justification for intervention in the energy sector: In most SSA, the national energy access stands at about 15%, implying more than 85% are energy excluded. With the declining forest cover and weather volatilities, household energy consumption needs to focus on increased smart clean energy solutions to remedy household pollution and provide better respiratory health; small lighting and cellphone charging devices.
2) Technology design: In practice, a typical rural woman fetches wood fuel on her way back from her gardens. Therefore, the clean energy technologies adopted should not deviate from quick wood fuel currently predominantly used by women in rural areas. The focus should be on household energy usage for cooking, lighting and SMEs (Food agro-processing). In designing the improved cooking stoves, rural women must be consulted on the issue of affordability, stove design, and ensure minimum deviation from the traditional food preparation methodology. For instance, In Uganda, most of the “Bantu” ethnic groups eat mashed green bananas/plantain known as “Matooke cooked by low grade steaming on charcoal stove or firewood. This food must steam for over 5hours to give it the flavor and aroma before it is served. The general belief is that once prepared on gas or electric cookers, then the taste aroma and tastes will change. In considering the clean stove designs, traditional staple foods and food preparation temperatures must be taken into consideration.
3) Economic empowerment of women in the energy value chain – this has to be linked to agro-processing of crops identified as strategic export crop enterprises for value addition, e.g rice, palm oil, maize, and other priority products. Also women in the wood value chain, as well as solar production and bio-gas production could be supported by the Bank.
4) Renewable energy/Efficiency: Energy entrepreneurs in the value chain should look into efficiency of the cooking stoves, in terms of the speed for cooking e.g firewood cooks fast, so a replacement bio-gas could serve the same purpose. The ultimate solution lies in the use of renewable energy.
5) “Bottom of the pyramid approach”: The Bank could design programmes which tackle SME financing to entrepreneurs that focus on the “Bottom of the pyramid approach” or the majority poor women at rural household level. Can the support to microfinance institutions and lines of credit to commercial banks be linked to energy SMEs?
6) Delivery channel – The Bank could assist in designing business supply chains for the supply of energy. It doesn’t have to be on-grid, since grid energy extremely expensive – implying support to Renewable energy. The Bank could otherwise support grid interconnection projects to help in distributing high voltage electricity generated.
7) Tariff reform – Most energy loss is a result of the high unit cost for electricity generated, since most households cannot afford expensive electricity. Power partnership agreements should be negotiated as part of the energy reforms in Regional Member countries.
8) Include clean cooking in the National Development plans.
How can the Bank support
Submitted by Vera OLING on Mon, 28/11/2016 - 15:05 Permalink
How can the Bank support sustainable energy for women?
Energy is a critical binding constraint for economic growth, hence it tends to be prioritized in the National Development Plans as a strategic area for investment in most countries. Despite this, the focus of most Regional Member countries has been on bulk energy, or energy to drive industrialization (energy for production at the macro-level), and less focus has been put on domestic energy, hence the forgotten element is the micro-level energy required for household utilization, which ideally is the responsibility for women.
While it is true that women and girls are responsible for energy procurement, and usage especially cooking fuels; it has be to emphasized that most women in SSA reside in rural areas. Their energy utilization at household level tends to be for cooking, lighting, domestic use and small SMEs. The current energy source in rural areas tends to be wood fuel, cow dung and remains from crop agriculture. The following are suggestions of Bank support to the energy for women:
1) The justification for intervention in the energy sector: In most SSA, the national energy access stands at about 15%, implying more than 85% are energy excluded. With the declining forest cover and weather volatilities, household energy consumption needs to focus on increased smart clean energy solutions to remedy household pollution and provide better respiratory health; small lighting and cellphone charging devices.
2) Technology design: In practice, a typical rural woman fetches wood fuel on her way back from her gardens. Therefore, the clean energy technologies adopted should not deviate from quick wood fuel currently predominantly used by women in rural areas. The focus should be on household energy usage for cooking, lighting and SMEs (Food agro-processing). In designing the improved cooking stoves, rural women must be consulted on the issue of affordability, stove design, and ensure minimum deviation from the traditional food preparation methodology. For instance, In Uganda, most of the “Bantu” ethnic groups eat mashed green bananas/plantain known as “Matooke cooked by low grade steaming on charcoal stove or firewood. This food must steam for over 5hours to give it the flavor and aroma before it is served. The general belief is that once prepared on gas or electric cookers, then the taste aroma and tastes will change. In considering the clean stove designs, traditional staple foods and food preparation temperatures must be taken into consideration.
3) Economic empowerment of women in the energy value chain – this has to be linked to agro-processing of crops identified as strategic export crop enterprises for value addition, e.g rice, palm oil, maize, and other priority products. Also women in the wood value chain, as well as solar production and bio-gas production could be supported by the Bank.
4) Renewable energy/Efficiency: Energy entrepreneurs in the value chain should look into efficiency of the cooking stoves, in terms of the speed for cooking e.g firewood cooks fast, so a replacement bio-gas could serve the same purpose. The ultimate solution lies in the use of renewable energy.
5) “Bottom of the pyramid approach”: The Bank could design programmes which tackle SME financing to entrepreneurs that focus on the “Bottom of the pyramid approach” or the majority poor women at rural household level. Can the support to microfinance institutions and lines of credit to commercial banks be linked to energy SMEs?
6) Delivery channel – The Bank could assist in designing business supply chains for the supply of energy. It doesn’t have to be on-grid, since grid energy extremely expensive – implying support to Renewable energy. The Bank could otherwise support grid interconnection projects to help in distributing high voltage electricity generated.
7) Tariff reform – Most energy loss is a result of the high unit cost for electricity generated, since most households cannot afford expensive electricity. Power partnership agreements should be negotiated as part of the energy reforms in Regional Member countries.
8) Include clean cooking in the National Development plans.