Studies
Solar power. Domestic energy N/A
Mid-term evaluation of the GEP-UNDP photovoltaic rural electrification project
| Country : | Zimbabwe. . |
| Client : | GEF UNDP - United Nations Development Programme . |
| Start Date : | 1994 |
| Completion Date : | 1994 |
| Value of services : | N/C |
| Funder : | World Bank (GEF - Global Environment Fund) . UNDP (United Nations Development Program) |
| Associate/Partner : | Independant consultants |
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| Description : |
To promote and guarantee the viability of rural electrification photovoltaic systems in Zimbabwe, the United Nations Development Programme launched a market based project with the objective of ensuring quality product delivery by means of a quality control and procedure and development of appropriate end-user's finance mechanisms, involving a development bank (Agricultural Finance Corporation, AFC). |
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| Description of the Actual Services Provided | The consultancy team consisting of four experts from different backgrounds (Tanzania, Zimbabwe, France, United States) was called upon to undertake the project's mid term evaluation and assess results vis a vis the initial objectives : * distribution of systems in remote rural areas, * strengthening of suppliers network in remote rural area, * development of learning skills and know-how among the end-user population, * efficacy of lending, funding and procurement systems. The financial and operational aspects were specifically entrusted to the IED expert. During a ten-day field mission the experts met the main programme actors : enterprises, institutions, funding agencies and local UNDP representatives. It was concluded that the project has contributed towards market based penetration of solar home systems and that National Execution of the project could be seriously envisaged under the conditions that procedures were made simpler and more transparent in the areas of procurement, system inspection and qualification of private distributors. |