Initial situation
The Togolese Government has made energy a central element of its national strategy for faster growth and employment promotion. Togo has set itself the goal of achieving a national electrification rate of 50 per cent by 2024.
However, the country is experiencing a political crisis that is having considerable impacts on the energy sector. Only around six per cent of rural areas are electrified. The rate in cities is around 50 per cent. The energy sector is suffering broadly from poor framework conditions for decentralised energy supply.
The Togolese Agency for Rural Electrification and Renewable Energies (AT2ER), which was founded in 2016, does not have sufficient equipment, knowledge or personnel to be able to perform its functions properly. In addition, there is a lack of regulations for renewable energies and the operation of off-grid systems such as solar home systems or small, decentralised energy supply grids (mini-grids). There are only a few companies that are active in the area of decentralised energy supply.
Objective
The Togolese Government has improved the prerequisites for decentralised and climate-friendly basic energy services. In particular, people living in rural areas and women and young adults are benefiting from a better supply of decentralised energy from renewable energy sources.
Approach
Working on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is supporting and advising the Togolese Ministry of Mines and Energy and other local, national and international actors on the promotion of sustainable and climate-friendly basic energy services. In this context, GIZ is supporting capacity building at the energy agency and providing advice on internal organisational processes.
To achieve better regulatory conditions, GIZ is cooperating with partner organisations on the development of fundamental regulations for decentralised energy supply with renewable energies.
In addition, the project supports the testing of business models for electrification and the supply of wood fuel in rural areas. The project is also expanding local sales and production structures for decentralised energy systems in cooperation with MIVO, a Togolese non-governmental organisation.
The project supports the testing of business models for electrification and the supply of wood fuel in rural areas. Photo: GIZ
Solar installation in a rural area. Photo: GIZ