The African Mini-Grid Community of Practice (AMG-CoP) – a collaborative network of 16 African country governments – has identified mini-grids as a central element of developing a decarbonised, climate-resilient energy services sector for the nearly 600 million people across Africa who lack access to affordable, safe and clean energy. Mini-grids answer the call for solutions that deliver climate change mitigation and resilience, while also advancing economic and social development benefits. In 2020, governments around the world are required to submit their revised Nationally Determined Contribution strategies for reducing global carbon emissions. This creates a unique opportunity to strengthen the rural electrification – climate resilience – sustainable development nexus.

Starting 16 April 2020, the AMG-CoP will convene a virtual workshop for its members and the broader community of energy access practitioners. This unique event will bring together (in the virtual space) African government leaders, climate finance experts, financial institutions and investors, as well as mini-grid developers and operators. The virtual workshop will assess the role of mini-grids in the current NDCs of Sub-Saharan African governments, discuss how a stronger focus on mini-grid-based rural electrification can increase climate ambition while delivering multiple sustainable development co-benefits, and identify the role of governments and international climate finance in this regard.

This workshop will explore questions such as:

• How can the sustainable development objectives of electrification, economic development and climate change mitigation and resilience be more effectively integrated?
• How can energy access in Africa be advanced through climate finance?
• How can public-private partnerships deliver enhanced electrification and other key community benefits, while also contributing to a stronger bottom line (economic performance) and more attractive investment environment for the private sector?

The workshop will be co-convened by the Africa LEDS Partnership (AfLP) as well as the Finance Working Group and the Energy Working Group of the Low Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

16 April – 16:40 – 17:30 SAST/ 17:40 – 18:30 EAST

Session 2: Making energy access through mini-grids affordable: The role of governments and international climate finance (60 mins)

This session will explore the current mini-grid climate finance landscape in Africa and how tapping into available climate finance can strengthen both rural electrification and climate action. We will look at the  financing landscape assessment that has been developed by the Finance Working Group, and hear from selected AMG-CoP members, as well as a Climate Fund representative.

A Public session; to attend, please register for this webinar HERE.

30 April 15:30 – 17:00 SAST/ 16:30 – 18:00 EAST

Session 3: Exploring the rural electrification – climate resilience – sustainable development nexus (90 mins)

This session will assess the role of mini-grids in the current NDCs of Sub-Saharan African governments and discuss how a stronger focus on mini-grid-based rural electrification can increase climate ambition while delivering multiple sustainable development co-benefits. The session will also delve into the co-benefits of mini-grid-based rural electrification, hear from NREL about the landscape assessment of mini-grids in NDCs, in addition to perspectives from the ground on the  integration of electrification, sustainable development and climate action at project level.

A Public session; to attend, please register for this webinar HERE.

Facilitators

• Josh Ogada (SouthSouthNorth )

Speakers

• Ieva Indriunaite (SD Strategies)
• Alexia Kelly (Electric Capital)
• Alexander Ochs (SD Strategies)
• Tim Reber (NREL)