CASE STUDY Mainstreaming and sector-wide approaches to sustainable energy access in Ethiopia Zereay Tessema, Brijesh Mainali * , Semida Silveira Energy and Climate Studies, Royal Institute of Technology-KTH, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden A RT I C L E IN F O Article history: Received 13 April 2013 Received in revised form 23 October 2013 Accepted 3 November 2013 Available online 22 November 2013 Keywords: Sustainable energy access Mainstreaming Rural Sector wide approach Development partners Development planning A B S T RA C T Access to modern and sustainable energy services is a real challenge for countries where the majority of rural population is living in austere poverty. The importance of sustainable energy access is recognized in many developing countries, and there is growing interna- tional development assistance in the sector. However the achievements are still meager particularly in Sub Saharan African countries. Most countries often fail to prioritize sus- tainable energy services at the local level as a means to achieve economic growth at the national level as well as the Millennium Development Goals. This study is focused on Ethiopia and investigates the existing challenges and future prospects of mainstreaming sustainable energy access into the development planning process of the country, and the implications this may have for international donor agencies, national policy makers, pri- vate actors and local energy planners. The paper analyzes the institutional framework, sector policy and financial mechanisms in the country. It also discusses operational modalities of state and non-state actors in the process, and extracts policy recommendations. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Background of the study Energy access deeply influences the life of rural communities. It is fundamental to all aspects of human welfare, including access to clean water, health care, education and agricultural productivity. Still 2.7 billion people lack access to efficient and clean en- ergy for cooking and heating and 1.2 billion are without access to electricity. About 84% of this deprived population lives in rural areas of either Sub-Saharan Africa or South East Asian countries [1]. Unfortunately, energy access has never been a top priority in Sub- Saharan African national and regional devel- opment plans and strategies. Many studies have identified the low income level of the rural poor, and thus affordability, as a major challenge for the provision of modern energy services in the Sub-Saharan Africa region [2e4]. Still, electrification will not automat- ically occur as a result of higher per capita income. In fact, access to electricity is higher among low income populations in Asia and Latin America if compared to Sub-Saharan Africa [5,6]. The institutional framework and prevailing electrification policies and programs have a great role to play in improving the access rate [7,8]. The synergies and linkages between sus- tainable energy access and climate change mitigation and adaptation have been sub- jected to increasing attention [9e11]. The energy transition and climate vulnerability are closely connected in Least Developing Countries (LDCs), where rural communities are struggling over poverty and declining natural resources [12]. Several studies have highlighted the need for sustainable and affordable energy services to rural poor communities as a means to achieve the Mil- lennium Development Goals (MDGs) and improve the human development index (HDI) [13e15]. Moreover positive correlation is also found between the expansion of modern and sustainable energy services and macro and micro economic improvements [6,16e18]. Fortunately, the issue of sustainable energy access has ascended the global policy agenda and is now a central theme in international development policy making. In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly established the international initiative of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) to facilitate universal access to modern energy services by 2030. The initiative seeks to actively engage a wide range of actors including governments, public and private sector organizations, civil society and energy users themselves, and prioritizes access to electricity and clean energy for cooking, as well as productive uses of energy * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: brijesh.mainali@energy.kth.se, brijeshmainali@hotmail.com (B. Mainali). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Energy Strategy Reviews journal homepage: www.ees.elsevier.com/esr 2211-467X/$ e see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2013.11.003 Energy Strategy Reviews 2 (2014) 313e322