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Institutional options for rural energy access: Exploring the concept of the multifunctional platform in West Africa

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  • Nygaard, Ivan

Abstract

The concept of the multifunctional platform for rural energy access has increasingly been supported by donors in five West African countries since 1994. While it is often referred to as a highly successful concept, recent reviews and interviews with local stakeholders in Mali and Burkina Faso indicate that the high aspirations to be found in project descriptions and early evaluations are only partly reflected in activities on the ground. This paper illustrates how the multipurpose aspects of the platform have made the concept a nexus of potential achievements that are highly valued in the dominant discourse of development, and how including concerns, such as poverty alleviation, gender equity, local democracy, decentralisation and the environment, have attracted donors outside the energy sector. The paper thus argues that, while the integration of multiple technical functions, preconceived organisational set-ups and local fuel production have in fact had limited or even adverse effects on the outcome of the multifunctional platform programme, these virtues have proved essential in presenting the concept at the policy level. This analysis of the dilemma between mobilizing funding and implementing practical programmes provides an argument for building development aid on existing structures instead of inventing new complicated concepts and approaches.

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  • Nygaard, Ivan, 2010. "Institutional options for rural energy access: Exploring the concept of the multifunctional platform in West Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 1192-1201, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:38:y:2010:i:2:p:1192-1201
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    1. Ivan Nygaard, 2008. "External support to local institutions: providing political leverage to weaker groups, or sustaining traditional relations of power?," The European Journal of Development Research, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 20(4), pages 649-665.
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    1. Romijn, Henny A. & Caniëls, Marjolein C.J., 2011. "The Jatropha biofuels sector in Tanzania 2005-2009: Evolution towards sustainability?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 618-636, May.
    2. David Ockwell & Robert Byrne & Joanes Atela & Victoria Chengo & Elsie Onsongo & Jacob Fodio Todd & Victoria Kasprowicz & Adrian Ely, 2021. "Transforming Access to Clean Energy Technologies in the Global South: Learning from Lighting Africa in Kenya," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Clarke, Shannon & Johnson, Katie & Crafton, Meredith & Eidsness, Jay & Zoppo, David, 2013. "The energy-enterprise-gender nexus: Lessons from the Multifunctional Platform (MFP) in Mali," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 115-125.
    4. Vaidyanathan, Geeta & Sankaranarayanan, Ramani & Yap, Nonita T., 2019. "Bridging the chasm – Diffusion of energy innovations in poor infrastructure starved communities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 243-255.
    5. Kohlin, Gunnar & Sills, Erin O. & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K. & Wilfong, Christopher, 2011. "Energy, gender and development: what are the linkages ? where is the evidence ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5800, The World Bank.
    6. Adrian Marjolein Caniels & Henny Romijn, 2009. "The Jatropha Biofuels Sector in Tanzania 2005-9: Evolution Towards Sustainability?," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 0919, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Nov 2009.
    7. Luis Gómez-Echeverri, 2013. "Foreign Aid and Sustainable Energy," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-093, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Gasparatos, A. & von Maltitz, G.P. & Johnson, F.X. & Lee, L. & Mathai, M. & Puppim de Oliveira, J.A. & Willis, K.J., 2015. "Biofuels in sub-Sahara Africa: Drivers, impacts and priority policy areas," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 879-901.
    9. Mathilde Brix Pedersen, 2016. "Deconstructing the concept of renewable energy-based mini-grids for rural electrification in East Africa," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(5), pages 570-587, September.
    10. Enrique Cabello-Vargas & Azucena Escobedo-Izquierdo & Arturo Morales-Acevedo, 2021. "Review on Rural Energy Access Policies," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(5), pages 157-171.
    11. Schillebeeckx, Simon J.D. & Parikh, Priti & Bansal, Rahul & George, Gerard, 2012. "An integrated framework for rural electrification: Adopting a user-centric approach to business model development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 687-697.
    12. Cheo, Ambe Emmanuel & Adelhardt, Nora & Krieger, Tim & Berneiser, Jessica & Sanchez Santillano, Federico Alberto & Bingwa, Brendon & Suleiman, Nischa & Thiele, Patricia & Royes, Alvaro & Gudopp, Danie, 2022. "Agrivoltaics across the water-energy-food-nexus in Africa: Opportunities and challenges for rural communities in Mali," Discussion Paper Series 2022-03, University of Freiburg, Wilfried Guth Endowed Chair for Constitutional Political Economy and Competition Policy.
    13. Gómez-Echeverri, Luis, 2013. "Foreign Aid and Sustainable Energy," WIDER Working Paper Series 093, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Holstenkamp, Lars, 2019. "What do we know about cooperative sustainable electrification in the global South? A synthesis of the literature and refined social-ecological systems framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 307-320.
    15. Ana Pueyo & Simon Bawakyillenuo & Marco Carreras, 2020. "Energy Use and Enterprise Performance in Ghana: How Does Gender Matter?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(4), pages 1249-1287, September.
    16. Pueyo, Ana & Carreras, Marco & Ngoo, Gisela, 2020. "Exploring the linkages between energy, gender, and enterprise: Evidence from Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    17. Trotter, Philipp A. & McManus, Marcelle C. & Maconachie, Roy, 2017. "Electricity planning and implementation in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1189-1209.
    18. Okello, Collins & Pindozzi, Stefania & Faugno, Salvatore & Boccia, Lorenzo, 2013. "Development of bioenergy technologies in Uganda: A review of progress," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 18(C), pages 55-63.

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