The political economy of electricity access – lessons from Mozambique

This paper discusses the issue of electricity access as a key development challenge in the Global South. The development of energy services is a vital componentof any social development policy strategy. Energy services such as heating,cooling,cooking and lighting meetbasic needs to sustain life, and fulfilsecondary socio-economic benefits such as recreation, educational attainment, economic productivity and poverty alleviation. Meeting energy service needs for the world’s poorest people necessitates the use of different fuel sources and technologies under varying geographic, political and socio-economicconditions. For many in the developing world, energy services are met by the burning of solid carbon-based fuels such as charcoal, wood, peat or lignite (commonly referred to as brown coal). The use of such fuels is problematic due to the health and environmental costs of their production and use. Moving away from black-carbon intensive fuel sources towards cleaner burning gas and electric sources is of critical importance. As such, improving electricity access through the expansion of electricity transmission and distribution systems (so called electricity ‘grids’) and the connection ofcommercial and residential properties, has become an energy policy priority –driven by intergovernmental organisation and donor programmes to improve (primarily rural) electrification.