Criteria used for selection include low energy access rates, energy development strategies, governance and implementation capacity
.jpg "The countries awarded these funds are Benin, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia (Photo: Greenpeace)")
Nine African nations were recently chosen to receive funding and operational support under a programme of international non-profit, Climate Investment Funds (CIF). The countries awarded these funds are Benin, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia.
The awards, which would be up to US $300,000 for each country, were announced at the semi-annual CIF governing body meeting, held in Jamaica last week. With this, the number of African countries piloting the CIF climate-smart investment scheme has reached 25.
The African Development Bank (AfDB), one of CIF's five implementing agencies, worked with the recipient countries to garner the support and will serve as implementing agency for the countries as they develop their new CIF investment plans under Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Low Income Countries Program (SREP). “This move sends an impressive signal for change,” stated SREP co-chair, Erastus Wahome, representative for Kenya, the first country to operationalise a CIF transformational geothermal programme in Africa. “The additional donor support for energy transformation is a clear sign of confidence in the success we’ve already seen taking place in low-income countries in Africa and other regions, and a sign of developing countries’ continuing enthusiasm to commit to CIF-style transformation. I am proud that Kenya has helped lead the way for this transformation,” he said.
At least 40 countries had expressed interest in joining the programme. Some of the criteria used to select the countries included low energy access rates, existence of an enabling policy and regulatory environment, renewables-friendly energy development strategies, strong governance capacity, and capacity for implementation.
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