Alianza Shire High Level Forum in Addis Ababa: Renewable Energy for Transforming Humanitarian Contexts

On 6 November, Addis Ababa witnessed a High-Level Forum promoted by Alianza Shire, an event that marked the culmination of years of work by the alliance partners to provide access to energy in the Kobe and Hilaweyn refugee camps and host communities in Dollo Ado (Ethiopia). The meeting brought together key actors of the project and the humanitarian sector in Ethiopia, and allowed for the sharing of results, lessons learned and future perspectives on this initiative.

Under the title “Access to renewable energy in humanitarian contexts in ETHIOPIA: Empowering refugees and host communities through sustainable energy solutions”, Sofie From-Emmesbergera, European Union Ambassador to Ethiopia, the Spanish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Guillermo López Mac-Lellan, and Bernard Inkoom, UNHCR representative in the country, took part in the meeting.

Representatives of different organisations involved in the project were also present: AECID, the Ethiopian NGO Save the Environment Ethiopia (SEE), Iberdrola, Acciona.org, or itdUPM; as well as members of organisations from the humanitarian sector, such as GIZ Ethiopia, the World Food Programme, Humanitarian Energy; and representatives of local public authorities, such as RRS or Woredas.

 

Project results and impact on the communities

An institutional welcome was followed by a presentation of the concrete results of the project. Then, in the spirit of opening the conversation on energy access management models in humanitarian contexts, and the sustainability of energy interventions, different multi-stakeholder dialogues were held with representatives of Alianza Shire, local public institutions and the main humanitarian organisations or organisations specialised in energy access.

The first panel was opened by Lucía Prieto, Director of AECID‘s Humanitarian Action Office, who gave a historical perspective of Alianza Shire, highlighting how in 2014 it mobilised multi-sectoral efforts to install sustainable energy solutions in the Adi-Harush refugee camp (in the Shire region), benefiting 8,000 people. The project then expanded to other camps such as Kobe and Hilaweyn (in Dollo Ado in the Somali region), benefiting more than 50,000 refugees and local community members, with the installation of street lighting, a solar mini-grid and more than 1,700 home photovoltaic systems.

What have the impacts been? Abdulkadir Fareh, from the NGO Save the Environment Ethiopia (SEE), explained that street lighting has not only improved security, but has allowed for the expansion of economic activities at night, strengthening social cohesion. ‘For women, going out at night is no longer a source of fear, and local businesses have flourished with extended hours,’ he said.

In addition, access to renewable energy has reduced dependence on firewood, in this way mitigating deforestation and contributing to environmental sustainability, said Iberdrola representative Rosario Sánchez. In particular, the installation of the mini-grid, which already provides reliable and consistent electricity to 16 community centres in Kobe (including schools and health centres), now facilitates essential services such as refrigeration of medicines, sterilisation of facilities and improved educational environments.

Macarena Romero, from AECID, mainly pointed out the impacts that the intervention has had in each camp. For example, in the Hilaweyn camp, more than 1,700 households benefit from solar energy, and schools in Kobe have undergone a major transformation: students can now study in good conditions, and school feeding programmes have improved nutrition and attendance.

Cristina Ruiz of Fundación acciona.org focused on the impact of technical training for local cooperatives in both refugee camps, which now have the capacity to maintain the solar infrastructure and manage the energy systems autonomously. “This not only fosters local ownership but ensures that the benefits of the project extend beyond its initial implementation”, she said.

Even with positive results, guests shared that challenges remain, such as ensuring the availability of spare parts by connecting local energy cooperatives with spare parts suppliers and getting the local community to accept a fee-for-service model.

Regarding the latter, Manuel Pastor (Fundación acciona.org) defended the need for a fee-for-service model, which is essential to maintain the infrastructure in the long term. “The transition from a subsidy-based model to a service provision model in which beneficiaries contribute financially poses challenges in terms of community acceptance. In the case of Alianza Shire, this change required extensive dialogue and educational efforts to ensure that the community understood the value of sustained service delivery over time”, he said.

 

Looking to the future: expanding the model and the challenge of sustainability

The Forum concluded with a call to expand successful solutions to other refugee camps and host communities, always adapting models to local contexts. Moderated by Stefan Wetzel, representative of the European Union, and Javier Mazorra of itdUPM, the panellists agreed that collaboration between humanitarian actors, private companies and local communities is essential to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives.

All in all, Alianza Shire has demonstrated that access to energy can transform lives, generating economic opportunities, strengthening education and protecting the environment. However, for these gains to be lasting, it is essential to combine sustained funding, foster partnerships and promote a participatory approach that puts communities at the centre of development.