Building on the company’s long history of electrification and planning work in Benin, IED was selected by the Ministry of Energy to complete the country’s National Electrification Strategy (2020-2035). The Government of Benin has committed to achieving 100% access to household electricity services by 2035.  However, despite significant developments in the power sector in recent years, electrification progress has lagged behind the country’s ambitions. The most recent estimates suggest that 58 % of households have direct access to electricity services in urban areas, with this share falling to just 8% in rural areas.

The National Electrification Strategy therefore aims to unlock the electrification potential of Benin by putting into place the conditions that allow the country’s electrification stakeholders to accelerate connections both on- and off-grid. The project mobilises a multi-disciplinary team of Beninese and international planners, engineers, and legal and financial experts who will work closely with local stakeholders to identify and propose solutions to the most critical financial, regulatory, institutional and technical obstacles to electrification in Benin.

The six-month project will be coordinated by the General Directorate of Energy Resources at the Ministry of Energy.  The project was launched on August 28th, 2020 via video-conference with representatives from all of the major electricity sector stakeholders, and will proceed in three phases: situational analysis, strategy development, and implementation planning. The final results of the study are expected to be delivered in a series of workshops and training sessions in the first quarter of 2021.