Funding & Fast-Tracking Health Facility Electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa

ARE, supported by GET.invest, has the pleasure to invite you to the webinar “Funding & fast-tracking health facility electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa” on 28 July 2020 at 14.00 – 15.30 CEST.

This webinar is the second in a series of webinars organised by ARE and supported by GET.invest. Building on “Electrifying Rural Health Facilities: Ongoing Initiatives & Innovative Solutions” held on 18 June 2020, this webinar will focus on how funding for projects to electrify rural health facilities can be structured and fast-tracked moving forward.

GET.invest is a European programme that mobilises investments in renewable energy, supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria.

The webinar will feature:

High-level opening remarks
Launch of publication: “Best practices for electrifying rural health facilities with decentralised renewables” with a particular emphasis on funding structures of DRE projects that electrify rural health facilities
Panel discussion on how to fast-track funding for health facility electrification

Programme

14.00 – 14.10

Opening remarks

David Lecoque, CEO a.i., ARE (Chair)
Michael Franz, Team Leader, GET.invest

14.10 – 14.30

Session I - “Best practices for electrifying rural health facilities with decentralised renewables”

Objective: Showcasing examples of health care electrification delivery models with a particular emphasis on funding structures.

Launch of publication: “Best practices for electrifying rural health facilities with decentralised renewables”

Jens Jæger, Policy & Business Development Manager, ARE

Examples of health care electrification funding structures from ARE Members

Chris Kanani, Senior Business Developer, Winch Energy
Mukabanji Mutanuka, Country Manager, ENGIE Powercorner Zambia
Anjal Niraula, CEO, Gham Power Nepal

Q&A with the audience

14.30 – 15.30

Session II - “Funding and fast-tracking health facility electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa”

Objective: Discussing key bottlenecks and next steps to fast-track funding of health facility electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa with decentralised renewables.

Moderator:

David Lecoque, CEO a.i., ARE

Panellists:

Rahul Srinivasan Energy Specialist, World Bank
Tendai Mukurazhizha, Chief Economist, Zimbabwean Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
Emily McAteer, CEO, Odyssey Energy Solutions

Q&A with the audience

Background information

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 400 million people depend on health facilities that have no access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In addition, the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlights that only 28% of health facilities and 34% of hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa have reliable access to electricity (without prolonged interruptions in the past week). In India, 46% of health facilities serving an estimated 580 million people lack reliability electricity access.

Lack of reliable electricity severely influences the ability of health care facilities to provide daily, as well as emergency medical care for rural populations. Electricity is needed for cold storage of vaccines and medicine, medical lighting, laboratory tests, x-rays, CT scans, as well as ventilators that are vitally important when treating respiratory diseases, such as COVID-19.

While lack of reliable electricity for health facilities is not a new problem, its importance has been accentuated by the COVID-19 crisis, which threatens to hit vulnerable and remote communities in emerging countries disproportionally hard.

DRE solutions offer an immediate, cost-effective and sustainable solution to this global challenge, as exemplified by ARE Member projects deployed for health care facilities across the world.