In a strategic move to initiate and strengthen partnerships for the Sun4Water program, Dr. Macben Makenzi, Sun4Water’s East Africa Regional Coordinator, conducted an appraisal visit in Ethiopia and Malawi. The primary objective was to involve diverse stakeholders, formalize partnerships, and deliberate on implementation strategies for the program’s upcoming years.
Unveiling New Partnerships
In Malawi, consultations with the GIZ Energising Development (Endev) program resulted in agreements aimed at addressing challenges faced by technical and financial service providers in the solar irrigation system sector. Explorations for collaboration on the development of a national policy roadmap and guidelines for productive use of energy (PUE) appliances were also initiated. Sun4Water and the GIZ program, Promotion of Agricultural Finance for Farmers and Agri-based Enterprises in Rural Areas (AgFin), met to discuss and come to an agreement on how to engage and support private sector players working on solar powered irrigation.
In Ethiopia, Sun4Water solidified alliances with the GIZ partner projects, Agricultural Mechanization for smallholder farmers (AMS) and Strengthening Rural Value Chains (SRVC), promising a synergistic approach for sustainable solar irrigation practices.
Navigating the Policy Landscape
a solar panel and other components of a solar powered irrigation pump
Meetings with officials from the Ministry of Energy, Renewable Energy Industries Association (REIAMA) in Malawi, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water and Energy, and the Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) in Ethiopia, unveiled the countries’ policy landscape for productive use of energy and solar irrigation. Collaboration and partnership agreements were reached and are currently undergoing formalization, setting the stage to create an enabling environment and address policy interventions for solar irrigation systems.
Together with partner projects in Ethiopia, Sun4Water will implement a solar powered irrigation systems (SPIS) policy roundtable in April 2024, with the main objective being to facilitate comprehensive and relevant policy discussions addressing the main concerns, gaps, and recommendations for the promotion and scaling-up of sustainable SPIS. The aim is to promote SPIS as a way to improve agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. In Malawi, Sun4Water, together with the Endev project and REIAMA, will work on developing a national roadmap for scaling up the productive use of renewable energy, including solar irrigation. This work is set to commence in early 2024.
Engaging with the Private Sector
Dr. Makenzi also visited, and held discussions with, various private sector actors as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in both countries. These engagements provided valuable insights into the specific challenges faced by SMEs in the solar irrigation sector, opening avenues for potential interventions and partnerships between Sun4Water and these enterprises. Following these discussions, Sun4Water and its GIZ partner projects are designing business-model development and coaching support interventions for select SPIS technology and financial service providers in Malawi and Ethiopia, with the rollout of these activities planned for early 2024.
Cultivating Knowledge Hubs
Visits to educational institutions in both countries were carefully curated, identifying them as future centers of excellence for SPIS training. Sun4Water aims to collaborate with these institutions to enhance human resource capacities, deliver training, and develop specialized curricula for small-scale solar irrigation systems. Together with its partner projects, Sun4Water will jointly implement a capacity-building program to support the qualification of five select educational institutions and up to 200 trainers in Ethiopia and Malawi. The goal is to contribute to the development and offering of economically viable and demand-driven training programs on SPIS.
The Road Ahead
Having secured agreements, formalized partnerships, and acquired a profound understanding of local challenges and opportunities, Sun4Water is now positioned to actively advance the development and dissemination of climate-friendly, energy- and water-efficient SPIS. By employing a holistic, multiscale approach, the program is set to make a substantial positive impact on food security while simultaneously addressing the growing concerns related to climate change and the environment.
To learn more about the programme, visit the Sun4Water page.
Contact:
Macben Makenzi, East Africa Regional Coordinator at Sun4Water | macben.makenzi@giz.de
