Supply Chain Challenges and Off-grid Energy Development: Insights from Southern and East Africa
JustGESI team members Harshit Vallecha, Lorraine Howe, Mulualem Gebreslassie along with colleagues Joshua Kirshner and Long Seng To have published a new letter article in the journal of ‘Environmental Research: Energy'. The article examines the critical supply chain issues through accounts of practical challenges encountered by off-grid energy developers and service providers in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Mozambique.
Insights generated for this article were derived through open-ended interviews and consultations with off-grid energy stakeholders carried out during the CESET project along with authors’ own experiences, corroborated with review of recent literature. The ESRC GCRF/UKRI-funded project CESET (Community Energy and Sustainable Energy Transitions in Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique) is the project that provided the foundation for the development of JustGESI initiative.
The article discusses critical supply chain issues of locational dynamics; technological and financial challenges; and governance and regulatory issues hindering sustainable deployment and operation of off-grid energy projects through the account of three countries.
The article further provides key actionable recommendations to governments and stakeholders which include transforming import and customs procedures while strengthening transport infrastructure and intra-continental trade for off-grid energy components. It suggests reduction in tariffs, high import duties, and taxes on procurement of renewable energy components through a joined-up approach by public institutions aiming for long-term development. The article emphasises the need for collective action by African states to invest in local infrastructure and workforce upskilling by developing specialised hubs and production facilities, strengthening local enterprise, and boosting local economies while limiting dependence on external suppliers for accelerated uptake of off-grid energy systems in Africa.
