Electricity access in Uganda’s slums: multi-stakeholder perspectives from Kampala

Uganda’s rapid urbanisation poses service delivery challenges, particularly to the poorest neighbourhoods which are home to over half of the urban population. Only 63% of urban households have access to grid-electricity, and access deficits are most felt in slums despite their proximity to the grid. This study investigated the electricity access challenge in Uganda’s slums and the socio-political issues that shape access, from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. Using mixed methods, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders and surveys (N=35) conducted in Nakulabye slum, Kampala. The supply-side barriers identified were low consumption loads in households which makes electricity provision financially unviable for the utility, insecure land tenure and inadequate housing which present practical and safety barriers. High costs and tariffs constrain access, as does poor quality and unreliable supply, and inadequate infrastructure. Regardless, households use electricity beyond simply lighting and phone charging, and a variety of businesses in the slum rely on electricity. The interviews revealed tensions in the priorities of different stakeholder groups, with the regulator striving to balance the interests of the utility, policy makers, and end-users. Wider issues emerged as the politicization of service delivery, limited data and capacity of city councils, and influences from external actors and events. Understanding local contexts is crucial, because prevailing policy regimes and socio-political environments either stifle or foster electricity access for low-income groups. The energy injustices and access deficits were acknowledged by all respondents, but there were differences in opinion regarding the root causes of the challenge, which could have negative implications for solution-finding efforts. Generally, the extent of the challenges faced is unknown outside the slum communities, and future work could explore the lived experiences of electricity access, to inform equitable electricity provision

Asset ownership and electricity access in the urban informal settlements of Kampala, Uganda

Delivering on the promise of SDG7 for low-income communities will require that we appropriately measure energy access. However, common measures use narrow indicators which do not acknowledge that poor households draw on multiple assets to access electricity. Using the asset pentagon of DFID's sustainable livelihoods framework, this study investigated asset ownership in a slum in Kampala, Uganda in relation to electricity access. Data were collected using household surveys [n = 450], and a multidimensional index and regression models applied to deduce asset ownership with respect to electricity access. We find that asset ownership is weak, especially for financial and natural assets compared to human, social and physical assets where households are better off. Grid-connected households exhibit stronger asset ownership than the unconnected, and assets also differ between residences, businesses, and mixed-use households. Households also interact with, manage, and leverage multiple assets to access electricity, depending on the ease with which those assets can be converted or exchanged for electricity. Policy and service provision should espouse existing everyday means of accessing electricity by capitalising on the assets in which households are strongest. Further, electricity provision goals for slums should be strongly linked with asset ownership and tangible livelihood outcomes for households, and exploring the micro-politics of electricity access and provision could offer directions for actualizing this linkage. Sustainable livelihoods approaches offer a valuable entry point for understanding energy access in deprived urban settings, from a perspective that encompasses multiple priorities for sustainable and inclusive urbanisation

Beyond technology : demand-side solutions for climate change mitigation

The assessment literature on climate change solutions to date has emphasized technologies and options based on cost-effectiveness analysis. However, many solutions to climate change mitigation misalign with such analytical frameworks. Here, we examine demand-side solutions, a crucial class of mitigation options that go beyond technological specification and costbenefit analysis. To do so, we synthesize demand-side mitigation options in the urban, building, transport, and agricultural sectors. We also highlight the specific nature of demand-side solutions in the context of development. We then discuss key analytical considerations to integrate demand-side options into overarching assessments on mitigation. Such a framework would include infrastructure solutions that interact with endogenous preference formation. Both hard infrastructures, such as the built environment, and soft infrastructures, such as habits and norms, shape behavior and as a consequence offer significant potential for reducing overall energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. We conclude that systemic infrastructural and behavioral change will likely be a necessary component of a transition to a low-carbon society

How climate policies can translate to tangible change: Evidence from eleven low- and lower-middle income countries

Formally adopting climate change mitigation policies does not necessarily translate to tangible change on the ground. Here, we analyse 31 semi-structured interviews with climate policy government officials and consultants from 11 low-income and lower-middle income countries (LMICs) as well as the respective climate policy context, and find high average degrees of perceived discrepancies between formally adopted climate change mitigation policies and their actual implementation. Our results suggest that for our LMIC sample, both the global political process to limit climate change and domestic environmental threats have been key to drive the formal adoption of climate change mitigation policies, but have had limited effect on implementation. By contrast, momentum for implementation of climate change mitigation initiatives and projects on the ground emerges where climate policies are firmly embedded within economic and social development policies, the economy and society are comparably well-positioned to embrace the associated change, and where they have been governed by cross-ministerial institutions capable of implementing wider climate-compatible development pathways. Thus, to help translate climate policy into action, national LMIC governments and the international community need to find context-specific ways to successfully integrate climate with economic and social development policies, identify and build on feasible opportunities and competitive advantages through which the local economy can benefit from green growth, build adequate social capital, and actively create institutional spaces and processes for well-equipped and meaningful cross-ministerial co-beneift governance. The importance of unlocking co-benefits for implementing climate policies underlines both the urgency with which the international community needs to increase finance for LMICs for climate change mitigation, as well as the associated development opportunities

Resilience in and beyond Covid-19: why this is a development, technology and innovation policy matter

The COVID-19 global health pandemic has exposed many vulnerabilities inherent in our societies. One of these has been the inability of many governments to effectively respond to the unfolding humanitarian emergency. The ramifications of this and other omissions have been profound and have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable collectives in society, which have become exposed to a higher risk of disease and loss of livelihoods. When looking ahead and planning for the future, it is essential that our existing decision-making systems are strengthened, building in resilience systemically to tackle future emergencies of a similar scale. Through a collection of case studies, this paper explores the view that technology and innovation can play a key role in building resilience in our existing systems and are necessary to catalyse transformative changes which foster development, thereby working towards securing the livelihoods of those most vulnerable in society

Governing green industrialisation in Africa : assessing key parameters for a sustainable socio-technical transition in the context of Ethiopia

The concept of ‘sustainable industrialisation’ is now integral to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. However, there are no historical examples or current models to emulate. Scholarly analyses of putative initiatives to green industrialisation, especially in developing countries, are few and limited. This article explores the conception and implementation of green industrialisation in Ethiopia, one of the world’s poorest nations, where an ambitious Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy has been created, alongside a multi-sectoral Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), to leapfrog environmentally unsustainable development and bring the country to middle-income status by 2025. Using the socio-technical transition (STT) perspective and in particular Smith et al’s (2005) framework for assessing sustainable transition programmes, it analyzes the ‘selection pressures’ on the industrial ‘regime’ and its ‘adaptive capacity’. It finds: (i) clear articulation of the imperative for climate change mitigation and economic growth; (ii) strong high-level government commitment to a greening agenda within the context of accelerated industrialisation; and (iii) a nascent innovation system that is beginning to evolve according to these priorities. However, the analysis also identifies important challenges, including: coordination mechanisms between different stakeholders; framing issues; availability of resources; and ongoing tension between addressing climate change and promoting economic growth. It also highlights the importance of the availability of cross-border resources for purposive sustainability transition within low-income countries

Africa and climate justice at COP27 and beyond: impacts and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens

Climate justice is not just a financial transaction to protect the environment. It needs to be seen as the protection of the most vulnerable in society after centuries of resource exploitation. African countries disproportionately face impacts of climate change on their environments, their economies, their resources and their infrastructure. This leads to greater vulnerability and increased exposure to the negative effects of a changing climate. In this article, we highlight the importance of climate justice and its role within the United Nations negotiations, and ultimately in concrete action. We discuss current climate impacts across key sectors in the African region, with a focus on health, infrastructure, food and water scarcity, energy and finance. All sectors are affected by climate change. They are interconnected and under threat. This triggers a ripple effect, where threats in one sector have a knock-on effect on other sectors. We find that the current set of intergovernmental institutions have failed to adequately address climate justice. We also contend that a siloed approach to climate action has proven to be ineffective. As we head towards the next set of negotiations (COP27), this paper argues that the economic and social conditions in Africa can be addressed through financial and collaborative support for adaptation and localised solutions, but that this will only be achieved if climate justice is prioritised by the decision makers. This needs to include a global-scale transition in how climate finance is assessed and accessed. Climate justice underpins real, effective and sustainable solutions for climate action in Africa

Africa and Climate Justice at COP27 and beyond: impacts and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens

Climate justice needs to be at the heart of the COP27 negotiations in Sharm El Sheikh. Climate justice is not just a financial transaction to protect the environment. It needs to be seen as the protection of the most vulnerable in society after centuries of resource exploitation. African countries disproportionately face impacts of climate change on their environments, their economies, their resources, and their infrastructure. This leads to greater vulnerability and increased exposure to the negative effects of a changing climate. In this article, we highlight the importance of climate justice and its role within the UN negotiations, and ultimately in concrete action. We discuss current climate impacts across key sectors in the African region, with a focus on health, infrastructure, food and water scarcity, energy, and finance. All sectors are affected by climate change. They are interconnected and under threat. This triggers a ripple effect, where threats in one sector have a knock-on effect on other sectors. We find that the current set of intergovernmental institutions have failed to adequately address climate justice. We also contend that a siloed approach to climate action has proven to be ineffective. As we head towards the next set of negotiations (COP27), this paper argues that the economic and social conditions in Africa can be addressed through financial and collaborative support for adaptation and localised solutions, but that this will only be achieved if climate justice is prioritised by the decision makers. This needs to include a global-scale transition in how climate finance is assessed and accessed. Climate justice underpins real effective and sustainable solutions for climate action in Africa

Policy perspectives on expanding cogeneration from bagasse in Malawi

Agro-industries have the potential to make a substantial contribution to sustainable energy supply in Africa, including energy access in rural areas. This paper focuses on the drivers and barriers to wider use of cogeneration from sugarcane bagasse in Malawi as there is a potential for the technology to enable access to electricity in rural areas. The paper gives an overview of the policy landscape for the energy sector and the sugar industry in Malawi. The research involved site visits, focus group discussions, and individual semi-structured interviews with participants from key government departments, businesses, research institutes and international agencies. It was found that energy sector reform, the proposed feed-in tariff for renewable energy, and risk are the key issues for investment in this area

Policy perspectives on expanding cogeneration from bagasse in Malawi

Agro-industries have the potential to make a substantial contribution to sustainable energy supply in Africa, including energy access in rural areas. This paper focuses on the drivers and barriers to wider use of cogeneration from sugarcane bagasse in Malawi as there is a potential for the technology to enable access to electricity in rural areas. The paper gives an overview of the policy landscape for the energy sector and the sugar industry in Malawi. The research involved site visits, focus group discussions, and individual semi-structured interviews with participants from key government departments, businesses, research institutes and international agencies. It was found that energy sector reform, the proposed feed-in tariff for renewable energy, and risk are the key issues for investment in this area. Keywords: biomass, renewable energy, electricit