Environment and Resources
Project: Access to Electricity in Rural Senegal through Standalone Solar Power Systems
Project Duration
04/2016 - 12/2016 (finalized)
Commissioned by
Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Project Team (RWI)
Cooperation
CRDES Senegal
Summary
The German Development Cooperation through GIZ carries out a variety of projects that aim to improve electricity provision in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. One country where significant efforts have been carried out for the last years is Senegal. Among others, the multi-donor energy access programme “Energising Development (EnDev)” carries out a project that deploys Solar Home and solar-powered Mini-Grid systems. Prior to the deployment, RWI conducted a baseline study in two rounds of data collection, 2009 and 2011. The baseline study was carried out to capture the status quo before electricity access facilitated by EnDev affected the population in a number of communities. To evaluate the effect attributable to these electrification activities, communities were also studied that did not receive access to electricity through the project. They constitute the control group of this evaluation approach that will be assessed in a so-called difference-in-differences setup. In total, around 400 households from over 20 villages will be revisited as part of the follow-up work. A particular research focus is on aspects related to migration. It is studied, in how far infrastructure provision such as electrification can affect the motivation to migrate among the population. Follow-up data collection takes place in mid-2016.