Green electricity: driving Madagascar’s development

Context

Only 14 per cent of people in rural Madagascar have electricity, with the figure even lower in the south (Grand Sud). This lack of access to electricity remains a major obstacle to the country’s development.

Madagascar currently generates around half of the energy it needs from hydropower, whereas solar still only plays a minor role. However, the huge potential it has for exploiting renewable energy could allow Madagascar to increase its electrification rate, protect the environment and help fight climate change.

The low degree of electrification in rural areas and very long hours of sunlight, particularly in Grand Sud, provide ideal conditions for harnessing solar energy off-grid. The Government has already established a favourable legal framework for private investment in order to speed up the electrification process. 

Objective

The (rural) supply of electricity from renewable sources in pilot regions of Grand Sud has been improved.

Approach

To promote rural electrification, the project is working with the Ministry of Energy and Hydrocarbons (MEH), the Board of Electricity Regulation (ORE) and the Rural Electrification Development Agency (ADER), as well as other institutions and the public sector.

It is helping the Government to put the statutory framework in place and apply financing mechanisms to fund projects from the private sector.

Specifically, the project is implementing the following measures:

• Training national and local actors in managing rural electrification projects.
• Implementing innovative solutions for renewable energy that offer value for money in cooperation with stakeholders in Grand Sud.
• Improving the range of training courses with a practical focus for solar power specialists working on rural electrification in Grand Sud.

Last update: June 2022