Authors: Megan Täuber, Philip Sandwell and Epa Ndahimana.  

A Roadmap for Energy Access in Displacement Settings: Uganda 

This report presents the status of sustainable energy access for refugee and host community households, businesses and community facilities in displacement settings in Uganda. It provides an overview of the stakeholders working towards SDG 7, and highlights opportunities for high-impact projects to support increased access to sustainable energy for displaced people and host communities. 

This report – the second of three in the READS Programme’s first phase – was written in partnership with Mercy Corps and is based in large part on input received during a stakeholder engagement workshop that was held in Arua in March 2023.

Uganda offers great potential to improve access to sustainable energy in displacement settings. The country offers a progressive and welcoming environment towards both refugees and sustainable energy, boosted by the Sustainable Energy Response Plan (SERP), and a wide range of organisations work in displacement settings on energy-focused projects. Whilst many clean cooking and electricity access projects are relatively small and locally focused, they show promise for replication and wider scale-up across the country.

Full report: Download here.

  

The Roadmaps for Energy Access in Displacement Settings (READS) Programme, implemented by the GPA Coordination Unit at UNITAR and funded by the IKEA Foundation, aims to identify viable implementation opportunities to increase sustainable energy in displacement settings. Spanning ten countries, the programme will develop a “roadmap report” for each nation. The reports will (a) concisely summarise the energy and displacement situation in each country, (b) identify gaps not currently met by the status quo and (c) put forward viable project opportunities to increase sustainable energy access in displacement settings. The programme focuses on all communities which are affected by forced displacement, spanning host communities, refugees, and other groups, and is inclusive of camps/settlements and urban settings in accordance with each specific national context.

The reports will be informed by workshops with in-country stakeholders to develop and refine the research. The Programme will engage a variety of actors working in both the private and public sector to benefit from their expertise including representatives of communities which have been affected by displacement, local energy companies, humanitarian organisations, and governmental authorities, among others.

Each roadmap report will be written in partnership with an organisation working in displacement contexts in the focus country. Researchers from displacement backgrounds will contribute to the production of the reports, leveraging their networks, expertise and lived experiences.

The READS Programme will focus on ten countries (subject to change) across three regions over the two-year programme duration:

  • Year 1: East Africa (Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya)
  • Year 2: Sub-Saharan Africa (Mali, Nigeria, Mauritania, Ethiopia) and Middle East (Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey)

Please get in touch for further information about how your organisation could be involved in the READS Programme.

The READS Uganda workshop was held in Arua on 1 March 2023 with the support of Mercy Corps. Participants discussed how entrepreneurs can use electricity to grow their businesses, the need for clean cooking solutions to also protect the environment, and other opportunities for sustainable energy access in refugee settlements in the West Nile region and beyond.

A Roadmap for Energy Access in Displacement Settings: Uganda 

Full report: Download here.

Cookstove manufacturers, international solar companies, refugee mini-grid operators, development actors, UN agencies and government partners came together at the third READS workshop in Kakuma on 7 March 2023, supported by SNV. Exploring the key energy issues, they discussed how to improve access to sustainable energy in Kakuma and Dadaab.

A Roadmap for Energy Access in Displacement Settings: Kenya 

This report presents the status of sustainable energy access for refugee and host community households, businesses and community facilities in displacement settings in Kenya. It provides an overview of the stakeholders working towards SDG 7, and highlights opportunities for high-impact projects to support increased access to sustainable energy for displaced people and host communities. 

This report – the first of three in the READS Programme’s first phase – was written in partnership with SNV and is based in large part on input received during a stakeholder engagement workshop that was held in Kakuma in March 2023.

There is huge potential to improve access to sustainable energy for displacement-affected communities in Kenya. National policies towards increasing the self-reliance of refugees and supporting host communities, and favourable policies towards sustainable energy projects, together offer a strong foundation for improving access to electricity and clean cooking solutions. Particularly in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, private sector engagement – supported by coordinated actions with humanitarian and development organisations, government partners, and the communities themselves – has demonstrated the potential for market-based programming. 

Download the report here

 

The READS Programme hosted its first workshop in Kigali, Rwanda on 23 February 2023, supported by our local partners Practical Action. Community representatives, government agencies, private sector companies, and humanitarian and development actors from across the country met to discuss the key issues in Rwanda’s five refugee camps, as well as the barriers and opportunities for sustainable energy in displacement settings.

The second phase of the READS Programme began with a workshop in Beirut, Lebanon on 19 September 2023. Local solar companies, NGOs, civil society organisations, and governmental representatives came together to discuss how renewable energy and energy efficiency measures could help vulnerable populations across Lebanon.

The first READS roadmap reports are currently being drafted and will be made available for consultation and review via online engagement workshops. The READS reports will be publicly launched and disseminated through a series of online events.

For further information about the READS Programme, please contact Megan Taeuber.

Last updated: 17/10/2023