Jacqueline Kimeu
International Coordinator, ACCESS Coalition

ACCESS Coalition

What energy solutions have you or your company been working on?

ACCESS Coalition brings together organizations and networks working at the local, national, regional and international levels delivering energy services to last mile communities, carrying out research, capacity building and advocacy, and working with communities, businesses, governments, international donors and investors to further access to clean energy across the globe. The Coalition voices the needs of people on the ground, translating these voices to actions for decision makers who then ensure policy and practice is responsive and reflects on- the-ground realities. At the heart of what we do is an acknowledgment that energy access is an important enabler for sustainable development, providing multiple benefits to the socio- economic wellbeing of local communities.

One of the examples is the Energy Delivery model for inclusive and integrated energy planning approach, which has developed holistic solutions across sectors. The approach developed by our member organizations, CAFOD and IIED, is now being adopted by the national government to support energy planning across all sub-national governments in Kenya. More information can be accessed through this link https://pubs.iied.org/16051iied

The Coalition also continues to influence multilateral development banks like the World Bank and the African Development Bank to ensure the needs of the last mile communities are factored into energy decision-making processes. In particular, the Coalition has written articles to the World Bank and as such, the Bank has committed to engage with CSOs and the energy poor during the process of developing their country partnership frameworks and other energy processes including the Africa Energy initiative.

Why is the High-level Dialogue on Energy important at this time?

This decade of action calls for concerted, collaborative multi-stakeholder action to accelerate delivery of SDG 7 particularly among countries with the highest energy access deficits. The prominence given to energy is crucial as we take stock of what has already been done and gain high-level commitment for what needs to be done. For CSOs working with communities, the Dialogue is an important avenue to channel community aspirations on energy in order to realize the full potential of SDG7 and ensure effective implementation at the national level. At ACCESS Coalition, we see the High-level Dialogue on Energy as an opportunity for all stakeholders to:

• Co-develop clear action plans, emphasizing cross-sectoral and integrated planning for energy solutions.
• Support implementation of robust and regular monitoring and evaluation mechanisms with metrics that go beyond mere energy provision to understand impact on other SDGs as well.
• Take action in designing participatory approaches for delivering energy solutions to last mile communities.

Can you give a preview of what commitments you might include in a potential Energy Compact by your company?

We are committed to mobilizing new, inclusive coalitions of stakeholders so as to go beyond business-as-usual approaches to energy service planning and delivery in order to achieve SDG 7 by 2030.

In particular, we’d like to champion for more needs-based planning that integrates the needs of different end-user groups underpinned by better data on the barriers in different contexts, including gender.

For SDG 7 to be achieved by 2030, governments in energy deficit must increase their RISE score levels for both clean cooking and electrification. ACCESS Coalition commits to promoting the RISE toolkit among CSOs and governments in sub-Saharan Africa to ensure more informed advocacy on the current status of energy and the enabling environment changes required in different national contexts. This also involves tracking the progress of implementation of government policies in regard to SDG 7.