In the Central African Republic, only 700,000 people of its 4.9 million people have access to electricity and about 60 percent of the country’s population live in rural areas. Electricity access to the national power grid is limited and unpredictable. This lack of electricity access has made the country vulnerable during the COVID19 pandemic. A 2016 World Health Organization study found that half of the health facilities outside the capital, Bangui, don’t function and more than 75 percent of health facilities are unable to offer basic services.
NRECA International is supporting the World Bank in a one-year project that will help provide the CAR Government with information they need to increase electricity access through renewable energy mini-grid and off-grid solutions. This “CAR Mini-grid Technical Characterization and Business Model Identification” project will also include recommendations for productive uses of electricity, private sector participation, knowledge sharing and capacity building.
The tasks will include:
- Using a customized Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) technology to identify 30 provincial and district cities that have the potential demand for mini-grid sites. This will be based on characteristics that include population density, and existing healthcare and education facilities.
- An evaluation of CAR’s current policy and regulatory framework for the electricity sector and provide recommendations for improvements to create favorable environments to develop mini-grids in the country.
Partners
- World Bank