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, KITE November, 2009, Pullman Hotel, Dakar-Senegal Regional Workshop on Access to Modern Energy Services “Policies Practices and Knowledge Sharing”

Outline • Definitions • Introduction • Findings • Articulated Capacity Building Needs • Recommendations

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).

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

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

Introduction (Cont.) • Organisation and sector institutions • Resources • Partnerships, • Commitment and dedication of actors, • Processes, • Annual plan of action • Results for end-users

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.

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

Key (preliminary) findings (Cont.)

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

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

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

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.

Articulated Capacity Building Needs

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.

Thank you

Regional Workshop on Access to Modern Energy Services “Policies Practices and Knowledge Sharing”