| Peer-Reviewed

Prospects and Constraints to Attaining Universal Access to Modern Energy in Malawi: A Review

Received: 3 February 2021    Accepted: 10 February 2021    Published: 26 February 2021
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

The Malawi Government regards energy as a life blood of the economy and as such a number of national policy documents have emphasized energy as one of the national priority areas that demand urgent intervention by the government and stakeholders. There is also a consensus that ensuring universal access to modern energy in an energy deficit country will also help improve living standards of people in line with national and global goals. Through a 2018 National Energy Policy, Malawi effectively domesticated the Sustainable Development Goal Seven and the Sustainable Energy for All objectives which among others seek to ensure universal access to modern energy by the year 2030. However, now in the last decade of the 2030 agenda, the country is not yet on the path to achieving the universal access to energy goal despite of having numerous opportunities for reversing the energy poverty trends. Doing a post-mortem is of essence in order to determine prospects and constraints to achievement of the national energy goals and objectives regarding universal access to modern energy. Therefore, this paper seeks to discuss the status of energy access to modern energy in the country, the prospects and constraints in relation to energy policy, regulatory environment, institutional capacity, energy resource, capital investment, technology and human resource.

Published in International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy (Volume 10, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14
Page(s) 19-27
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Energy Constraints, Energy Prospects, Malawi, Modern Energy, Universal Access

References
[1] WB, (2019). Malawi: Electricity Access Project, World Bank.
[2] ESMAP (2017). State of Electricity Access Report, Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, Washington. USA.
[3] Anna Lerner, Z. V. Dalphond, M. Gee, T. Plagge (2017). Energy Analytics for Development: Big Data for Energy Access, Energy Efficiency, and Renewable Energy, Energy Sector Management Assistance Program. Washington, DC: World Bank.
[4] WEF (2012). Energy for Economic Growth: Energy Vision Update 2012, World Economic Forum. Geneva, Switzerland.
[5] R. Banerjee (2015). Int. J. Innov. Res. Adv. Eng. 2, 186–190.
[6] E. Borgstein, S. Santana, B. Li, K. Wade, E. Wanless (2019). Malawi Sustainable Energy Investment Study: Summary for Decision Makers, Rocky Mountain Institute.
[7] IEA IRENA UNSD WB WHO (2020). Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2020, International Energy Agency, International Renewable Energy Agency, United Nations Statistics Division, World Bank and World Health Organization.
[8] UN SE4ALL (2012). Sustainable Energy for All: A Global Action Agenda., Sustainable Energy for All.
[9] MoNREM (2018). National Energy Policy, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Government of Malawi.
[10] Deloitte (2017). SE4ALL Action Agenda, Government of Malawi.
[11] N. Avila, J. Carvallo, B. Shaw, D. M. Kammen (2017). The Energy Challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Guide for Advocates and Policy Makers, Oxfam Research Backgrounder Series.
[12] MoFEPD (2017). The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) III (2017 - 2022), Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development. Government of Malawi.
[13] S. Pachauri, N. D. Rao, Y. Nagai, K. Riahi (2012). Access to Modern Energy: Assessment and Outlook for Developing and Emerging Regions, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
[14] MoNREE (2010). Malawi Electricity Investment Plan, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment. Government of Malawi.
[15] NSO (2018). 2018 Malawi Population & Housing Census: Preliminary Report, National Statistical Office.
[16] J. L. Taulo, K. J. Gondwe, B. Sebitosi (2015). J. Energy South. Africa 26, 19–32.
[17] CCEE (2019). Energy Efficiency Brief: Malawi, Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency.
[18] MoGCDSW (2015). National Gender Policy, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare. Malawi.
[19] MoNREM (2016). National Climate Change Management Policy, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining. Government of Malawi.
[20] MoNREA (2004). National Environmental Policy, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs, Government of Malawi.
[21] REN21 (2019). Renewables 2019 Global Status Report, (Paris: REN21 Secretariat). ISBN 978-3-9818911-7-1.
[22] SE4ALL (2015). Progress Toward Sustainable Energy: Global Tracking Framework 2015 Summary Report, Sustainable Energy for All.
[23] MEM (2017). Malawi Renewable Energy Strategy, Ministry of Energy and Mining.
[24] M. Bhatia, N. Angelou (2015). Beyond Connections: Energy Access Redefined, The World Bank: Washington, DC, USA.
[25] NSO (2019). 2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census: Main Report, National Statistical Office.
[26] C. Kamunda, Malawi (2014). J. Sci. Technol. 10, 53–58.
[27] ESMAP (2018). Regulatory Indicators for Sustaninable Energy (RISE), ESMAP Report. Washington, DC: World Bank.
[28] K. Waagsaether (2014). An Overview of the Energy Picture for SADC Countries, with a Focus on Renewable Energy, Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute.
[29] SADC SARDC (2018). SADC Energy Monitor 2018, Southern African Development Community, Southern African Research and Documentation Centre.
[30] SAPP (2018). Annual Report, Southern African Power Pool.
[31] MoECCM (2013). National Climate Change Investment Plan 2013-2018, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Management. Malawi.
[32] MoAIWD (2016). National Agriculture Policy 2016, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development. Lilongwe, Malawi.
[33] A. Welland (2017). Education and the Electrification of Rural Schools, Technical report 13. Smart Villages.
[34] F. C. Eboh, B.-åke Andersson, T. Richards (2019). Waste Manag. 100, 75–83.
[35] H. Chamdimba, R. G. Mugagga, E. O. Ako (2020). J. Energy Res. Rev. 4, 44–57.
[36] K. Funk, J. Milford, T. Simpkins (2013). Waste Not, Want Not: Analyzing the Economic and Environmental Viability of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Technology for Site-Specific Optimization of Renewable Energy Options, Technical Report. NREL/TP-6A50-52829.
[37] S. G. Banerjee, K. Malik, A. Tipping, J. Besnard, J. Nash (2017). Double Dividend: Power and Agriculture Nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
[38] UNEP (2016). Guide for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Laws, United Nations Environment Programme. Nairobi, Kenya.
[39] UNECE UNEP DTU (2017). Overcoming Barriers to Investing in Energy Efficiency, United Nations Economic Commision for Europe.
[40] Promethium Carbon (2016). Electricity Market Reform in Southern Africa, Johannesburg.
[41] A. Miketa, B. Merven (2013). Southern African Power Pool: Planning and Prospects for Renewable Energy, International Renewable Energy Agency.
[42] ESMAP (2017). Solar Resource Mapping in Malawi: Annual Solar Resource Report, Energy Sector Management Assistance Program | The World Bank.
[43] MoNREM (2017). Independent Power Producer (IPP) Framework for Malawi, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Republic of Malawi.
[44] MERA (2020). Strategic Plan 2020 - 2024, Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority.
[45] SADC SARDC (2016). SADC Energy Monitor 2016: Baseline Study of the SADC Energy Sector, Southern African Development Community, Southern African Research and Documentation Centre. Gaborone, Harare.
[46] M. Chanakira (2011). in: Rev. Strateg. Intell. Int. Relations, pp. 64–78.
[47] A. Medinilla, B. Byiers, K. Karaki (2019). African Power Pools: Regional Energy, National Power, ECDPM Discussion Paper No. 244.
[48] WB (2019). Implementation, Completion and Results Report: Report No: ICR00004654, World Bank.
[49] O. Johnson, C. Muhoza, P. Osano, J. Senyagwa, S. Kartha (2017). Catalysing Investment in Sustainable Energy Infrastructure in Africa: Overcoming Financial and Non-Financial Constraints, Working Paper 2017-03. Stockholm Environment Institute. Stockholm.
[50] O. Kachaje, V. Kasulo, G. Chavula (2016). African J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 10, 476–484.
[51] WB (2019). Energy Vulnerability in Female-Headed Households: Findings from the Listening to Citizens of Uzbekistan Survey, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank.
[52] N. J. Williams, P. Jaramillo, J. Taneja, T. Selim (2015). Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 52, 1268–1281.
[53] ODI (2016). Accelerating Access to Electricity in Africa with off - Grid Solar, Overseas Development Institute, London.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Hope Baxter Chamdimba, Gad Reuben Mugagga, Elias Ako. (2021). Prospects and Constraints to Attaining Universal Access to Modern Energy in Malawi: A Review. International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy, 10(1), 19-27. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Hope Baxter Chamdimba; Gad Reuben Mugagga; Elias Ako. Prospects and Constraints to Attaining Universal Access to Modern Energy in Malawi: A Review. Int. J. Sustain. Green Energy 2021, 10(1), 19-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Hope Baxter Chamdimba, Gad Reuben Mugagga, Elias Ako. Prospects and Constraints to Attaining Universal Access to Modern Energy in Malawi: A Review. Int J Sustain Green Energy. 2021;10(1):19-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14,
      author = {Hope Baxter Chamdimba and Gad Reuben Mugagga and Elias Ako},
      title = {Prospects and Constraints to Attaining Universal Access to Modern Energy in Malawi: A Review},
      journal = {International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {19-27},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijrse.20211001.14},
      abstract = {The Malawi Government regards energy as a life blood of the economy and as such a number of national policy documents have emphasized energy as one of the national priority areas that demand urgent intervention by the government and stakeholders. There is also a consensus that ensuring universal access to modern energy in an energy deficit country will also help improve living standards of people in line with national and global goals. Through a 2018 National Energy Policy, Malawi effectively domesticated the Sustainable Development Goal Seven and the Sustainable Energy for All objectives which among others seek to ensure universal access to modern energy by the year 2030. However, now in the last decade of the 2030 agenda, the country is not yet on the path to achieving the universal access to energy goal despite of having numerous opportunities for reversing the energy poverty trends. Doing a post-mortem is of essence in order to determine prospects and constraints to achievement of the national energy goals and objectives regarding universal access to modern energy. Therefore, this paper seeks to discuss the status of energy access to modern energy in the country, the prospects and constraints in relation to energy policy, regulatory environment, institutional capacity, energy resource, capital investment, technology and human resource.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Prospects and Constraints to Attaining Universal Access to Modern Energy in Malawi: A Review
    AU  - Hope Baxter Chamdimba
    AU  - Gad Reuben Mugagga
    AU  - Elias Ako
    Y1  - 2021/02/26
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14
    T2  - International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy
    JF  - International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy
    JO  - International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy
    SP  - 19
    EP  - 27
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1549
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20211001.14
    AB  - The Malawi Government regards energy as a life blood of the economy and as such a number of national policy documents have emphasized energy as one of the national priority areas that demand urgent intervention by the government and stakeholders. There is also a consensus that ensuring universal access to modern energy in an energy deficit country will also help improve living standards of people in line with national and global goals. Through a 2018 National Energy Policy, Malawi effectively domesticated the Sustainable Development Goal Seven and the Sustainable Energy for All objectives which among others seek to ensure universal access to modern energy by the year 2030. However, now in the last decade of the 2030 agenda, the country is not yet on the path to achieving the universal access to energy goal despite of having numerous opportunities for reversing the energy poverty trends. Doing a post-mortem is of essence in order to determine prospects and constraints to achievement of the national energy goals and objectives regarding universal access to modern energy. Therefore, this paper seeks to discuss the status of energy access to modern energy in the country, the prospects and constraints in relation to energy policy, regulatory environment, institutional capacity, energy resource, capital investment, technology and human resource.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Energy Resources Department, Ndata School of Climate and Earth Sciences, Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), Thyolo, Malawi

  • Energy Technology Department, School of Engineering, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

  • Energy Technology Department, School of Engineering, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

  • Sections