New Collaboration to Improve Energy Access in Ethiopia

Posted on : Wednesday , 18th November 2020

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is collaborating with IKEA Foundation to improve access to energy in rural communities in Ethiopia.

RMI will leverage a $1 million grant from IKEA Foundation to grant rural communities with access to renewable energy.

The institute will also leverage the grant to assure project beneficiaries create new opportunities for income generation by using energy effectively. The project will mainly target farming communities.

Ethiopia has managed to power only twenty five percent of its population with electricity, according to the International Energy Agency. More than 50 million people lack connection to energy.

The Ethiopian government has prioritized universal access to electricity and aims to reach 100% electrification by year 2025, with 35% of the population utilizing off-grid energy solutions and the other 65% of the country connected to the grid.

The program manager Shambhavi Sharma, in the renewable energy team at the IKEA Foundation, said: “We want to bring the renewable-energy sector together to articulate sustainable-energy solutions that put people living in poverty at the heart of their work. That is why we have collaborated with Rocky Mountain Institute to bring diverse partners to tackle the biggest challenges in the renewable energy sector in Ethiopia, helping people afford a better life while protecting the environment.”

RMI Africa principal, Francis Elisha, said: “We are honored to partner with IKEA Foundation in Ethiopia. Over the past few years we’ve seen the incredible opportunities that distributed energy resources, like decentralized mini-grids, bring to rural communities. They do not only electrify communities but also build local resilience and bolster economic growth.”