EVENTS
EVENT: SEforALL and UNCDF Workshop
Workshop co-hosted with SEforALL and UNCDF at OPEC Fund Headquarters in Vienna
“MDBs PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE” OPEC FUND AND PARTNERS SHARE KNOWLEDGE ON ENERGY ACCESS
P lanning and partnerships were the keywords in a workshop co-hosted by the OPEC Fund in March at its Vienna Headquarters with the UN-affiliated organization Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). More than 30 representatives of partner countries, institutions and the private sector gathered to share ideas on how to unlock finance for sustainable energy – and mobilize action.
developed for three African countries, taking into account the broader context of challenges, opportunities and national submissions to the UN Energy Compact. Walid Mehalaine, OPEC Fund Head of Grants & Technical Assistance, said: “Integrated energy planning is a concrete, effective and practical tool to support countries’ efforts to provide access to clean cooking for all. It helps both policy-makers and
Dusko Stjepanovic, Head of Green Banking at the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, an investor, said:
“Everybody’s talking about renewables as a megatrend. Multilateral development banks are playing a crucial role in bridging the gap between sensitive and vulnerable developing markets and developed markets like the EU and USA. They have the role today to link all those stakeholders and create a solid bridge. Without that we cannot achieve any of our targets.” The sheer scale of the challenge was illustrated by Lewnis Boudaoui, OPEC Fund Senior Country Manager: “In Madagascar, a pilot country for the energy hub, only 1.6 percent of the population has access to clean fuels and 17,000 people die every year from household air pollution,” he said. The goal is to supply 55 percent of the population with improved cookstoves by 2030,
private sector actors to take informed decisions and deploy resources where they are most needed.” The Malawi IEP was launched in October 2022, and work is now underway in Madagascar and Rwanda with a focus on clean cooking. Tom Rwahama,
Following introductory remarks by Public Sector Assistant Director-General Fuad Albassam, the OPEC Fund Senior Director, Strategic Planning & Economic Services, Al Shaimaa Al-Sheiby briefed participants on progress with the implementation of the Climate Finance and Energy Innovation Hub. The
Tom Rwahama, SEforALL, Country Manager
facility was launched last year by the three organizations to unlock, de- risk and scale-up private sector investment in energy access and
SEforALL Country Manager, said: “We are unlocking investments in clean cooking, helping the
country to identify which solutions best suit which locations based on the nexus of affordability and availability of fuel and technology resources.” Lindsay Umalla, Director for Country Transitions at the Clean Cooking Alliance, added: “Governments have an essential role to play in accelerating access to clean cooking. But it’s an incredibly tough issue because it’s so intersectional. That’s why a healthy understanding of the market through data and planning is essential for governments to effectively regulate and fundraise.”
transition across the developing world. The ambitious goal is to mobilize four US dollars in funding for every one US dollar invested by the institutional partners. Participants were shown
saving thousands of lives and ending the country’s rapid deforestation.
Lindsay Umalla, Clean Cooking Alliance, Director for Country Transitions
Al Shaimaa Al-Sheiby, OPEC Fund, Senior Director,
Strategic Planning & Economic Services
the many ways in which the hub is supporting SEforALL’s advanced Integrated Energy Plans (IEPs) on access to electricity and clean cooking. These plans use geospatial analytics to identify least-cost, optimal technology and fuel mix approaches via a public online platform. Presently, IEPs have been
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