“Scotland’s commitment to

international development, and

Scotland’s experience of

contributing to community

energy based developments”

Joanna Keating

Head of International Development

Scottish Government

PART 1

HOW WE GOT HERE?

Why SG & International

Development?

“No society can be flourishing and

happy, of which the far greater part

of the members are poor and

miserable”

(Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations)

Why SG & ID contd…?

• Scotland has always been an outward looking nation

• Scottish Executive's response to the Asian Tsunami in

2004 – who would lead Scotland’s response?

• 11 staff were seconded to help coordinate relief efforts.

• It was decided that Scotland's devolution journey would

not be complete without a permanent International

Development Fund (IDF).

• From these beginnings, the SG’s International

Development Policy was established, articulating a

vision of Scotland's place in the world as a good global

citizen, committed to playing its role in the global fight

against poverty.

SG powers to act in ID? • Under the Scotland Act (1998), ID is a reserved

competency of the UK Government, BUT the SA98 gives

SG powers of “assisting Ministers of the Crown with

international relations” including “assisting Ministers of the

Crown in relation to international devpt assistance”.

• With the permission of DfID, the SG established an

International Development Fund (IDF) in 2005.

• The IDF currently contributes to the overall UK Overseas

Development Assistance (ODA) figure.

• Scotland also contributes its share to the work of DfID

through taxation.

• Scottish taxpayers therefore currently contribute more per

head to ID than the rest of the UK.

PART 2

OUR CONTRIBUTION TO

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT?

Where, when, how ?

SG International Devpt Policy “Scottish Ministers are committed to advancing

Scotland's place in the world as a responsible

nation by building mutually beneficial links with

other countries…

As part of [its] International Framework, Scotland

has a distinctive contribution to make in its

work with developing countries recognising our

global responsibility to work together to achieve

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).”.

(2008)

Where do we focus?

7 Priority Countries: • Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Pakistan,

Bangladesh and 3 states in India

3 Development Programmes: • Malawi Development Programme

(150 years of shared history)

• Sub-Saharan Africa Development Programme

(Shared history, Scottish expertise)

• South Asia Development Programme

(Contemporary diaspora links)

How much do we spend? • IDF was originally £3m in 2005 (all Malawi), now £9m

p.a. (with £3m p.a. ring-fenced for Malawi).

• Small Grants Programme in same 7 priority countries

worth £500,000 p.a. over 2 financial years 2014-2015 and

2015-2016 (option to extend to 3rd year 2016-2017).

• IDF also used to core-fund partner organisations (SMP,

NIDOS, SFTF: to build capacity in the sector, and raise

awareness of international development within Scotland

• A separate Climate Justice Fund (£6m), also focussed

on our 4 SSA priority countries.

SG’s approach to development:

partnership / reciprocity

• harness the people-to-people links that Scots have

forged with Malawians esp over more than 150

years as a catalyst for development

• use Scottish expertise to address SSA and SA

priorities

• Work through Scottish based organisations, who

partner with organisations in country; do not fund

through Governments

Partnership working • Particularly important for renewable

energy projects….

– Partners engaged project planning / development

– Community buy in & ownership

– Clear roles & responsibilities in implementation,

M&E, communication and finance

– ongoing capacity building within project itself

• Community ownership and capacity

building at the inception…ensures long

term sustainable development

“Sustainable”: Exit Strategy:

• Sustainable outcomes

• Ownership and responsibility

• Financial sustainability

• Consideration of climate change

• Links to other national and local initiatives

• Long term management of any capital items

Part 3

SCOTLAND &

MALAWI -

RENEWABLES?

“Energy is the golden thread that

connects development, social inclusion

and environmental sustainability…”

“Energy poverty is a threat to the

achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals. It is inequitable and

unsustainable”.

(UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, launching SE4All initiative 2011)

2005 Cooperation Agreement

SG/GoM: 4 strands

• Education

• Health

• Civic governance

• Economic development – includes energy

But increasingly recognised…energy lies at the heart of all 4 strands…

Malawi Key Facts: • Population: 15,380,888 (2011) (26M by 2030)

• Poverty: increased: now 40.4% population in severe multi-dimensional poverty; 20% at risk of multiple deprivations

• Serious challenges: water borne diseases (malaria), HIV/AIDs, (low) educational attainment, maternal health, infant/child mortality

• UN Human Development Index stats (2013):

– Malawi ranked 170 countries: (UK 26) – of 176

– life expectancy 54.2 years: (UK 80.3)

– mean yrs schooling 4.2 years; (UK 9.4)

– GNI per capita 753 (PPP$)

– 9% electrification rate (UK 99.7%)

Energy Access in Malawi

• currently only 9% of population access to

electricity

• that’s around 13.6 million people without…

• development virtually impossible without energy

– health, education, business development,

tourism, infrastructure all depend on it (Bank Ki-

moon’s “golden thread”)

• and for obvious reasons future energy

development should come from renewable

sources wherever possible!

Background to RE Projects • Community Rural Electrification and Development (CRED)

Project (2008-11): Strathclyde University: led a Scoping

Study commissioned by SG: on Supporting Community

Energy Development in Malawi

• CRED Report outcomes pointed to different programme

activities that SG might support

• CRED recommendations taken forward through the

Malawi Renewable Energy Acceleration Programme

(MREAP), again partnered with Strathclyde University, to

promote sustainable energy and providing access to

reliable electricity in rural areas of Malawi.

MREAP £1.7M Malawi Renewable Energy Acceleration Programme

(MREAP) (2011-14 + 2014-15):

• seeks to improve energy access in Malawi through 4 inter-related

workstreams:

– institutional support

– community energy development (PV solar; biomass;

wind; microhydro; cookstoves)

– wind energy preparation (wind masts)

– renewable energy capacity building

• single biggest ID programme ever funded by SG: shows

importance we accredit to energy access in developing world

• January 2014: 1 yr extension announced, to 2015.

• MREAP funding sits outwith main Malawi Development

Programme, but still funded from our ID Fund

Community Energy: Biomass

digesters: Mzuzu, Malawi

Community Energy: Cookstoves

Mount Mulanje: hills =

community HYDRO!

Bondo Micro-Hydro Scheme

Bondo - babies now born

safely in the light

MREAP: wind mapping

MREAP:

Sgurr Energy

met mast

MREAP Anticipated Outcomes & Learning

• Community Energy Development Programme

– early indications that around 20,000 rural

Malawians benefitting

• Establishment of Community Energy Malawi –

hopeful that can operate independently beyond

MREAP close

• Teacher Retention Survey – better

understanding of factors influencing long-term

benefits to school pupils in rural areas

MREAP Anticipated Outcomes cont.

• Long-term Sustainability – CRED – 6 solar panel

systems out of action for up to 2 years, sometimes

due to issues as minor as a blown fuse: much more

community engagement & capacity-building needed

• WASHTED - innovative remote monitoring system

capturing useful data – early indications that it will

be helpful in managing community use of micro

systems

• 2-year MPhil course in RE developed - 6 students

set to qualify next year – boosting capacity within

Malawi

Other (non-MREAP) SG funded

RE projects I:

Rural Off-Grid Energy Kiosks (International Resources and Recycling Institute (IRRI))

• addressing problem of inadequate supply of basic

electricity: project delivering innovative and viable off-

grid community electrification solution

• real potential to increase rural Malawians’ socio-

economic opportunities, allowing them to be

incorporated into a national strategy for the

electrification of rural Malawi, based on renewable

energy technologies

Other (non-MREAP) SG funded

RE projects II: Electricity Kiosks in

Off-grid Villages

• Pilot solar extension 2013 to provide BBOXX

solar kits to former Fistula patients:

• teach 250 former fistula patients to use domestic

solar kits for their own energy (lighting and

radio) and in sale of mobile device charging

(micro-enterprise);

• and report to SG….

BBOX FISTULA PATIENTS Anticipated Outcomes & Learning

• 8 women started pilot project Dec 2013, joined by

66 women = 74 total participants

• participants v positive about BBOXX B7: provides

their house with light PLUS profitable phone

charging businesses

• Income leads to social changes: save for health

care, funerals etc.); future (buying plot of land,

building house etc.) and children (school fees etc.)

• Challenges learning: break downs, replacements,

contact with rural women

Ripple effect of community energy:

energy impacts across the 4 strands • Education: light in homes - children can study after

dark; teachers more willing to stay in rural areas if

school has elec – high school enrolments increased

• Health: light in health clinic allows doctors to deliver

babies safely at night – previously done by candlelight

or in dark if mother couldn’t afford candles…

• Health: electricity in health clinic – staff can run fridge

to keep medicines at correct temperature

• Economic devpt: people can start their own

businesses e.g. phone-charging, maize-grinding,

hairdressing, even mini-cinemas (World Cup!)

• Civic Governance: internet / communication

SG & RE 2015-18: • MREAP ends March 2015.

• Monies projected by SG for the “MREAP successor” now

wrapped into overall Malawi Round 2015-18.

• This is new additional funding (£1m over 3 years)

added to the Malawi Devpt Programme pot for 2015-18.

• In keeping with the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All

global initiative, SG recognises that renewable energy

access supports the four development strands of health,

education, economic development and civic governance

• Malawi Call doc: “we would be keen to see more

innovative renewable energy projects, which link

across the four strands”

• New RE projects onstream from April 2015we hope

Malawi Programme 2015-18 • Priority - new energy access for off-grid

communities: mini-grids; standalone systems (solar

panels /lanterns).

• Successful projects those seen to provide energy at

household, community or public institution level.

• Particularly welcomed applications from projects that

support the theme of the first two years of the UN

Decade of SE4All; Energy for Women and Children’s

Health.

• Long-term viability/sustainability absolutely crucial.

Part 4

SCOTLAND:

LOOKING AHEAD? Challenges…?

Solutions.?

Opportunities…?

Leadership…?

Challenges… • Budget:

– £9 million p.a. total fund for all our ID

work

– Maintain the support of “the Scottish

constituency” to ID work, and RE work

within ID

• Sustainability of projects

• Capacity building in-country

• learning

Solutions: Smith Commission? SG submission to Smith Commission included ID ask:

• “Scotland should be able to work with certainty and

stability for the people and countries it engages with

through its current international development

activity. This should be given legislative

underpinning rather than relying on permission

from the UK Government that can be removed at

any time.

• A commensurate share of the UK's current

international development budget for relevant

countries would provide targeted, effective, efficient

and innovative activity to help fight poverty

worldwide”.

Solutions: on ID policy side..

• Increasing interest in looking at aid as just one

element of development

• Looking to support & increase trade and investment

into Malawi: infrastructure important to attract

investors – requires RE

• Capacity building/skills sharing

• Scotland’s expertise: what we can best contribute to

Malawi’s development – incl RE

• Share learning – the good and the bad! Fund good

RE projects, but also learn from these and share

the learning

Solutions: on energy side…

Sustainable Energy For All

Launched in 2011 by Ban Ki-Moon with 3 key objectives:

– Providing universal access to modern energy

services

– Doubling rate of improvement in EE

– Doubling share of RE in the global energy mix

• BKM asked FM if Scotland would be formal partner

given our world-leading expertise in renewable energy

• Scottish commitments: to second policy expert to GoM,

and to develop community renewables toolkit

Opportunities: why RE Scotland? World leading low-carbon and climate change targets and

ambitions:

• We currently have 23 wave and tidal projects underway -

more than any other country in the world

• We have vast renewables potential including 25% of

Europe’s tidal power, 10% of Europe’s wave power and

25% of all Europe’s wind energy crossing Scotland and its

surrounding seas

• World first ‘Hydro-nation’ – using our water to boost the

economy, reduce carbon impact, protect the environment

and contribute to global need

Experience supporting Scottish communities, helping them

develop their own renewable projects for over a decade, with

c£40m funding provided to date

Opportunities for Scotland • Partnership approach – brings trust

• Capitalise on democratically engaged

population in Scotland

• Cross sector collective action easier in

small country: eg, Scottish Working Group

on Post 2015; the Scottish SE4All Forum

• key messages from Brussels / Geneva:

Europe is seeking leaders

• small countries can do RE well - Denmark

Leadership..? • Scotland leading the way across UK in how we

support local and community ownership of

renewable energy

• Scotland the good global citizen: share our

expertise to global good: technical & learning

• recognition internationally for what the SG is

doing on climate change / climate justice /

renewable energy

• sub-national Government? SG can still lead and

ensure these areas stay on international radar

• Minister for Europe & International Devpt

“Energy is the golden thread that

connects development, social inclusion

and environmental sustainability…”

“Energy poverty is a threat to the

achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals. It is inequitable and

unsustainable”.

(UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, launching SE4All initiative 2011)