Human welfare has always been closely linked to an appropriate provision of energy. However, in 2019, 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa did not have access to electricity and about 900 million people were lacking access to clean cooking energy (IEA, 2019). Mozambique is one of the countries that suffers from energy poverty, with only 40.3% of its population having access to energy (MIREME, 2021). But what does access to energy exactly mean? There is, unfortunately, no universal definition and hence no accurate measurement. The Multi-Tier Framework (MTF) approach to measuring energy access promoted by the World Bank (see https://mtfenergyaccess.esmap.org/) introduces a tiered measurement methodology, based on various energy attributes, such as quantity, quality, affordability, and duration of supply. This methodology focuses on the level of available energy services from the consumer's point of view, and distinguishes 5 different tiers. These range from 0 - which represents no significant access to any electricity at all, to 5, which corresponds to at least 23h of electricity per day. Similarly, a Multi-Tier Framework for measuring access to cooking solutions has been elaborated, based on levels of cooking exposure, cookstove efficiency, convenience, safety, affordability, and fuel availability.

In order to better understand the current level of energy poverty in Mozambique, Enabel supports the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) with one pilot survey that uses the MTF methodology. The methodology is adapted for this purpose and monitored by VITO, a Belgian independent research organization in clean technology and sustainable development (see https://vito.be). The objective of this learning exercise is to introduce technical government staff from the central and provincial level to the implementation of MTF surveys and their potential to better inform local planning and monitoring of universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy.   

In the Central Region of Mozambique, which is the geographical focus area of the Mozambican-Belgian bilateral cooperation project CB MIREME/ARENE, the provinces of Tete and Zambezia were identified for this learning survey. Tete because it has an area that is directly connected to the Cahora Bassa dam, the largest hydroelectric scheme in southern Africa. Zambezia was selected because it has the largest solar plant in Mozambique (40 MW). The first surveys were conducted in Tete, between 28th of March and 16th April 2022, in Cahora Bassa District (urban), and Chifunde District (rural). A total of 71 households were surveyed. The second survey covered 81 households in Zambezia, between 25th of April and 9th of May in Mocuba District (urban), and Milange District (rural). It is important to note that the selection of the districts and neighborhoods was done by the Provincial Services for Infrastructure (SPIs), and took into consideration on- and off-grid consumers and different energy sources.

Technical staff from the SPIs, MIREME central level, the Energy Regulatory Authority ARENE, and the Energy Fund FUNAE participated in the learning exercise. The participants were unanimous in recognizing the importance of the MTF methodology. Their first observations are that, even where households have access to the national or a decentralized grid, they only use it for particular activities, such as charging phones, and not for basic needs, such as cooking. Electricity from the national grid is found to be too expensive for energy-intensive activities. It also became apparent that households connected to a local decentralized grid paid much less for electricity than those connected to the national grid.

It is important to reiterate that due to time and methodological constraints, proper probabilistic sampling methods were not considered for this learning exercise. The data are not intended to draw statistically significant conclusions, but rather to better understand the collection and analysis of energy data, based on the MTF methodology. We will report in full on the data collected through our random walks, once VITO has been able to assist us in their final analysis. To statistically answer the actual state of energy access of Mozambique’s population, a national survey is deemed advisable. However, we can already conclude that there is a clear need for more affordable and sustainable solutions to electrification and cooking, powered by renewable energy. The promotion of such solutions will assist Mozambique in achieving its ambition to green its energy mix and mitigate the impacts of climate change, which are increasingly being felt in the country.