IMPROVING POVERTY IMPACTS & INCOME-GENERATION FROM SOLAR SYSTEMS IN

UGANDA: VILLAGE BANKS, SOLAR COMPANIES, & A DELIBERATE GENDER

STRATEGY

By May Sengendo

East African Energy Technology Development Network (EAETDN)

A case study for the Gender and Energy Session at the World Bank Energy Week 2006

7th March 2006

GENDER & ENERGY NEXUS IN UGANDA

• Existence of energy, gender & poverty reduction policy

framework– National Gender Policy, Poverty Eradication Action Plan & National Gender Policy, Poverty Eradication Action Plan &

Energy policy availableEnergy policy available– division of labour & roles between women & men in household

& industrial related activities as key priority areas– Address differences in access to resources (such as energy

services) for production and adding value to marketing of goods.

• Availability of gender & energy statistics to facilitate policy/project planning

Census: population of 52 % women(2002);-Energy balance for 2003: supply pattern made up of mostly

biomass (92.9%); electricity (1.1%); with national grid electrification rate of 4.1 %.

GENDER & ENERGY NEXUS & PROJECT SITE

– Demand side: residential consuming 71.9% of which 39.7% is electricity; commercial 13.6, with 14.4 electricity; industrial 9.8% with 45.9 electricity; transport 4.6% with 0.0% electricity.

– As realized from 5,376,088 households (link with census data can provide idea about how many are female / male headed households who makes decisions?)

- Participatory Poverty Assessments show location specific data where energy poverty is a problem, with disproportionate effect on women - thus included as a key issue for current rural electrification plan.

PROBLEM WITH ENERGY POLICY PLANNING

• Linking needs of household (females & males)& institutional level (energy service providers & public regulatory actors) to reveal gender & energy concerns within energy policy planning:-- If If affordability & accessibilityaffordability & accessibility of energy of energy services to poor women &men is the problem, services to poor women &men is the problem, can energy financing be an effective strategy?can energy financing be an effective strategy?

- How can financial institutions, solar companies & government regulatory system take into consideration differences in tasks done by energy users, their needs & access to energy services for income generation?

THE PHOTOVOLTAIC PROJECT

• Uganda Photovoltaic Pilot project for Rural Electrification (UPPPRE) dealt with energy-poverty thru formulating strategies to address absence of sufficient choices & ways of accessing:

-affordable, safe, environmentally suitable & reliable energy services in ways that enable sustainable economic devt.

• Replication was done in Bufumira island of lake Victoria, funded by UNDP/GEF/SGP

PROJECT GOAL: UPPPRE • Implemented between 1998 & 2001, financing from GEF,

UNDP & Government of Uganda. • To demonstrate & establish financial & institutional

mechanisms for providing solar PV based electrical services on commercial basis to household, business & communities in rural & peri urban areas of Uganda;

• For areas projected not to have access to grid-based electricity in the foreseeable future; where energy users could have ability & willingness to pay the unsubsidized cost of the solar PV systems.

• To provide electricity to at least 2,000 households & four (4) communities in those areas that were not yet served by the grid.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES: WAS GENDER INCLUDED?

i.i. Energy demandEnergy demand: increase use of PV technologies to provide electricity in rural areas through private sector energy service providers;

ii.ii. Effective supply: Effective supply: develop strategiesdevelop strategies to overcome the to overcome the policy, technical, financial, social & institutional policy, technical, financial, social & institutional constraints constraints to the expansion of markets for PV systems to the expansion of markets for PV systems on a demand-driven, full cost-recovery basis; on a demand-driven, full cost-recovery basis;

iii.iii. Capacity for energy service providersCapacity for energy service providers: Strengthen capacity of private sector (solar companies) to design, install, service on a commercial basis; & of the public & of the public sector to promote, monitor & sector to promote, monitor & provide the policy provide the policy frameworkframework for the expanded use of PV systems for the expanded use of PV systems;

GENDER INCLUDED IN “ENERGY USERS” WITHIN PROJECT OBJECTIVES: NOT ENOUGH

Iv Subscribe to global efforts to combat the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere & contribute to the curbing of greenhouse gas emissions from the use of kerosene & diesel generators;

V Develop mechanisms to market different sizes

of PV systems to different social-economic categories of households (energy end-users), and custom-designed systems for economically productive applications which generate employment.

*** Gender mainstreaming in project activities Gender mainstreaming in project activities emphasized in replication of the project in Lake emphasized in replication of the project in Lake Victoria IslandsVictoria Islands

A DELIBERATE GENDER STRATEGY DEVELOPED• Formulated gender planning guidelines at project & institutional

level for participation, decision making, resource access• Gender focused rulesGender focused rules formulated for financial institutions (micro- formulated for financial institutions (micro-

finance & village banks/co-operatives) to ensure targeting of women finance & village banks/co-operatives) to ensure targeting of women & marginalised groups (poor men, disabled etc) when dealing with & marginalised groups (poor men, disabled etc) when dealing with enabling access to credit & skills training in installation & enabling access to credit & skills training in installation & maintenance work.maintenance work.

• Formulated & used gender responsive monitoring indicators to consider differential impacts on women & men in implementation process & while examining project outcomes

• Designed gender sensitive communication & awareness information materials on value of women’s & men’s labour force participation in income earning activities (due to having access to energy services through solar PV). Case studies on benefits for women’s entry into income earning activities at home & other enterprises; changes in relations of women & men; participation in decision making

Increasing access to information: Solar panel used to power a radio

73% of household solar beneficiaries in Bushenyi owned radios,TV(2005)

INTEGRATION OF GENDER IN ENERGY PROJECT cont’d

• Formulating strategies for establishing solar PV financing mechanisms through financial Institutions:– loans to solar companies, women & men at

household level. Gender focused operational rules used by village banks & solar companies to ensure that women were targeted for: (1) credit & sales; (2) participation in decision making during selection of size of panels (no. of lights, position, income earning purposes

• Strengthening of the capacity of the private sector

through solar companies (association in UREA) to design, install, service & in future, manufacture PV systems on a commercial basis.– Gender analysis by solar companies & village banks

(difference in needs for females & males, roles)

Benefits: Fisher man using payphone with Solar Charged Battery: access to marketing access to marketing

informationinformation

BENEFITS FOR WOMEN & MEN cont’d• Enabled increased use of PV technologies in rural

areas through increased number of clients for village bank/ solar companies (36 females out of 86 in 9 months); established use of gender guidelines by solar companies

• Supported Supported women’s empowermentwomen’s empowerment, thru increased , thru increased participation in income-generating activities (increase participation in income-generating activities (increase in income); participation in decision making due to in income); participation in decision making due to increased access to informationincreased access to information

• Spouses often pooled resources & cooperated in

order to finance loans; women became more active in joint businesses. 73% of the women respondents indicated having participate in making choices about acquiring solar technology

• Both men & women Both men & women gained skills in maintenance, gained skills in maintenance, battery charging & usage (30% women trained)battery charging & usage (30% women trained)..

One of the solar beneficiaries going to feed her zero grazing goats

Provision of light for zero grazed goats (Income earning for women)

BENEFITS cont’d• Girls education benefited from being able

to study later at night after completing domestic chores (performance increased by 60%) .

• Bufumira: battery charging as alternative income earning activity for men (from fishing). Increased diversification of economic activities for men

• Provided activities owned & managed by women: selling of refrigerated drinks/eats in shop/bar/eating places, using solar lighting to feed high breed chicken, goats & pigs, using lighting for hairdressing & craftwork.

IMPACTS OF GENDER APPROACH ON PROJECT EFFECTIVENESS

• Improved female-male relations through creation of effective marketing network, enabled increased use of PV technologies in households; healthier living conditions, decreased expenditures on paraffin (used to spend 5,200shs per month)

• Gender responsive financing mechanism enabled improved

delivery of energy services by solar companies & village banks in ways that considered differential needs, roles of females/males, decision making

• Increased income for women through participation in income earning activities using solar PV

• Improved cooperation and decision making among females &

males through joint businesses.

• Increased skills for women& girls in maintenance, battery charging & usage (men & boys used to be the only ones trained)

• Increased participation for women in Contribution to improved girls education through being able to study later at night after completing domestic chores.

LESSONS LEARNED FOR FUTURE ANALYTICAL RESEARCH –

• Make use of gender focused indicators as monitoring information to keep track of changes & impacts of the project over time

• Have collaborative linkages with information bearers (encourage documentation of gender disaggregated data)

• Challenges can exist where documentation of gender disaggregated data was minimal during monitoring of project outcomes

LESSONS LEARNED FOR POLICY DIALOG &

INSTITUTIONS • Formulate gender guidelines for the project in ways

that link with existing policy framework on gender, poverty & energy

• Work through institutional linkages that encourage Work through institutional linkages that encourage private & public partnership in ways that consider private & public partnership in ways that consider women’s & men’s needs for energy serviceswomen’s & men’s needs for energy services

• Replicate lessons learnt in order to strengthen use of policy & institutional strategies that enable women’s increased access to energy services (in cases where they are disadvantaged). E.g provided in-put for planning of rural electrification in Uganda

LESSONS LEARNED FOR FUTURE PROJECT PLANNING

• Project Planning should consider women & men’s participation in all areas of energy service provision, not only as energy users.

• Make use of lessons learnt in pilot projects to replication application of gender guidelines in different projects & settings

• Private-public partnerships work better by involving them in the planning, implementation & monitoring of energy projects

Challenges for future project planning

• Do energy projects gather statistics that combine gender, poverty & energy when monitoring; gender indicators used?

• Are we able to use monitoring information & lessons learnt to plan & implement rural electrification projects?

• Are there private & public partnerships with capacity to design & use gender planning tools to be used in planning, monitoring of energy service provision?

CONCLUSION Improved livelihood & increased incomes to poor women 7 Improved livelihood & increased incomes to poor women 7

men can be achieved if there is increased energy service men can be achieved if there is increased energy service provision through:provision through:

i. Establishing or strengthening financial & institutional mechanisms to provide solar photovoltaic (PV) services on commercial basis to household, business through applying guidelines that include women & men’s needs;

ii.ii. Building partnerships: Govt for regulatory services in line Building partnerships: Govt for regulatory services in line with gender policy (delivery of services without exclusion with gender policy (delivery of services without exclusion of women); solar companies with gender focused rules in of women); solar companies with gender focused rules in delivery of services; with financial institutions that solar delivery of services; with financial institutions that solar users associate with & consider differences in needs;users associate with & consider differences in needs;

Iii Strengthening outreach & competitive skills of solar

companies;

IvIv Using strategies that consider differentiated needs and Using strategies that consider differentiated needs and roles of women and men as priority concerns in energy roles of women and men as priority concerns in energy service provision.service provision.

………END………Effectiveness of Energy service provision can be

improved through using gender planning tools for:

• Establishing application of gender focused rules Establishing application of gender focused rules in financial systems; in financial systems;

• Strengthening gender planning skills of private energy service providers & policy/regulatory roles of public institutions;

• Increasing access to information Increasing access to information that enables that enables shared decision making for women & men at shared decision making for women & men at household level; increased access to energy household level; increased access to energy services by women.services by women. Thank you