The figure below shows the connection between our strategic focus areas, programmes, and the five outcomes in SEforALL's Theory of Change (ToC) that together illustrate our vision of how the activities of SEforALL can contribute to global pathways to achieve SDG7. The individual and collective success of these programmes, in partnership with governments, the private sector, financial institutions, CSOs and the international donor community, contribute to the changes needed across the energy sector value chain and ecosystem on a country-by-country basis to achieve real impact.
Theory of Change
Outcome 1: Inclusive and gender-sensitive action mainstreamed
SEforALL’s strategy is to strengthen efforts to put gender equality and women’s empowerment at the heart of solutions for energy access and the sustainable energy transition. SEforALL is leading by example by further improving its own gender strategy to enhance the organization-wide commitment to gender-transformative work. Mainstreaming gender throughout our work is seen as an important precondition to scale at speed through solutions that are inclusive of the needs of men and women.
As of 2022, progress towards mainstreaming gender-sensitive action had been made in four areas:
- Increasing the integration of gender-sensitive lenses into diplomacy and advocacy work.
- Providing frameworks for mainstreaming gender into implementation plans.
- Planning the future deployment of greater gender-focused programmatic work.
- Using gender-specific datasets and research to support in-country work.
Outcome 2: Global commitments to implement action to meet SDG7
Our advocacy and diplomacy work, driving global commitments to SDG7, is seen as a critical pathway to the achievement of energy access and energy transitions through associated financial commitments that can support connections and change at scale. SEforALL is interested in obtaining commitments, and invested in supporting countries, companies and partners to transform those commitments into action and tangible results. Highlights include:
- Substantial commitments have been made in the form of Energy Compacts: In 2022, SEforALL, in collaboration with UN-Energy partners, made significant strides in promoting and securing Energy Compacts. To date, these efforts have resulted in nearly 200 approved commitments towards SDG7 and climate goals, which generated over USD 600 billion in commitments, and;
- Energy was prioritized through several high-level events, including the SEforALL Forum, the UNGA, and COP27. SEforALL’s participation at high-level events provides a crucial opportunity to push the just and equitable energy transition.
Outcome 3: Enabling policy and regulatory standards implemented for sustainable energy sector
SEforALL sees an enabling policy and regulatory environment as a key precondition to de-risk investment in the energy sector. This enabling environment is also seen as a precondition to mobilize the private sector and associated finance to reach the last mile, providing energy connections/installations through renewable and efficient solutions that support human development and mitigate the progress of climate change. Highlights include:
- Delivering policy and regulatory standards support in-country: Launch of the Access Accelerator Rwanda programme; development of a National Integrated Energy Plan in Nigeria; support to Nigeria on enabling market policies; launching the Mini-grid end user tariff study in Sierra Leone, and; developing a concept to support the Ugandan National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency alliance.
- Conducting and disseminating policy and regulatory insight, data and knowledge: Launch of the Sustainable Energy Policy Hub (SEPH); research on sustainable cooling policies through the Chilling Prospects research series; establishing the Mission Efficiency marketplace and solution selection tool taskforces, and; completing the Powering Healthcare Nigeria Market Assessment and Roadmap
Outcome 4: Significant and appropriate finance for SDG7 flowing globally
Our contribution, and that of our partners, is to help leaders unlock finance for centralized and decentralized energy solutions, for energy access, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. SEforALL continues to do this by fostering partnerships and sharing knowledge that helps leaders take actions to address barriers to financial flows. SEforALL’s strategy does this directly by channeling finance to project developers for decentralized energy access connections, and indirectly by providing evidence and data as a trusted broker, getting finance to partners as a result.
- Support to increasing finance at the global level: Energy Compacts continue to make significant progress; indirectly supporting the mobilization of USD 750 Mn at COP27; establishing the Market Efficiency readiness initiative at global level, promoting investment in project implementation funding for coordinated actions through loans, grants and incentives; laid the groundwork for a major push in healthcare electrification, including feasibility Capital Landscape study.
- Support to increasing finance at country level: UEF raised over USD 44 Mn in concessional and grant funding and implementation of a refined RBF model in 5 countries; ETO supported Nigeria to raise over USD 3.5 Bn for the implementation of the ETP; SEforALL played a crucial role to unlock finance for clean cooking through the Climate Finance and Energy Innovation Hub, with the OPEC Fund announcing USD 100 Mn in support of clean cooking in 4 countries.
Outcome 5: Significant increase in energy connections, installations and energy transitions to meet SDG7 by 2030
Since 2020, SEforALL has integrated implementation and direct financing of connections and installations to its portfolio of work. To scale energy connections at the right speed, we are at the heart of the solution along with key partners to drive the decade of action. SEforALL has integrated country action and direct financing of energy connections into its strategy since 2020.
- Direct delivery of connections on-the-ground: Growing the number of direct energy connections through the RBF of min-grids and action-focused interventions in other countries. In 2022, UEF verified 654 electricity connections to households, businesses, and public buildings located in eight communities in northern Madagascar, with new or improved access to electricity for 3,270 people through the installation of 0.19MWp of renewable energy capacity. In Sierra Leone, work began on the electrification of six key hospitals through the Powering Healthcare programme, supporting an increase in the number of health facilities with a reliable power solution, benefitting a greater number of people with improved health services.
- Supporting the sector and our partners to deliver connections: The Chilling Prospects research highlighted the role of energy efficiency in expanding access to energy services; delivery of the Malawi IEP (including cooling components); influencing key international partners to raise ambition in healthcare facility electrification, with the focus of partners now increasingly on facility-wide (rather than service-specific) solutions.
