Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village

Abstract

As it emerges from the literature, electricity access in rural contexts is deeply intertwined with socioeconomic dynamics. However, the advent of a reliable and sufficient source of electricity is not the sole driver that might contribute to local development. Indeed, complementary activities might have a crucial role in sustaining the development of rural communities as well as the electricity access. The current research addresses the lack of counterfactual scenarios in which the impact of complementary activities on electrification projects can be investigated. The authors introduce the case study of Matembwe village, a rural community in the Njombe region of Tanzania. The data collection includes the electricity consumption, number of electricity connections, and number of income-generating activities in a timespan ranging from 1989 to 2015. The analysis is based on system dynamics. The study considers different scenarios representing the dynamics related to the following complementary actions: access to market measures, access to credit measures, and access to usable skills. On the one hand, the study reveals that the effectiveness of the considered complementary actions is limited except from the access to microcredit which fosters an increase in electricity connections by 17%. On the other hand, both access to microcredit and the starting up of a local cooperative by CEFA Onlus that reinvests its profits in the local market impact the socio-economic dimension by 69% and 22%, respectively.

Contribution of Rural Electrification in Improving People’s Livelihood in Tanzania: A Case of Mpanda District, Tanzania

“…The findings were also consistent with those by Tonini et al (2022) that rural electrification in the Matembwe village of Njombe region contributed to the improvement of health services by providing remote clinics with permanent nurses as well as professional and specialist doctors who began to visit the remote clinics on a regular basis.…”

Comprehensive energy solution planning (CESP) framework: an evidence-based approach for sustainable energy access projects in developing countries

“…This is also confirmed by a WB report [125] which suggests four categories of complementary factors to increase the economic impact of electricity access in SSA: Enhancing access to markets, facilitating access to microcredit, building usable skills (capacity building), and improving access to public services. Based on this report, Tonini et al [123] bring evidence based on a real case field study and an associated system dynamic model that confirms that the most impacting complementary activities should:…”

“…This phase complements CESP 3 and 4 and aims at enhancing the long term sustainability of the project through complementary activities [123]. As already mentioned, energy access alone does not guarantee local development, as highlighted by the PRODUSE initiative [124].…”

The Role of Rural Women’s Occupations on Electrification and Use of Electric Stoves for Households in Busega District, Tanzania

“…In addition, 24% said that they were rarely provided with technical support while 10% said that they were never given any kind of support (Figure 2). According to the statistics, minority were provided with constant support by the key players/actors even though access to electricity is generally deemed to facilitate improvement in livelihood (Tonini, Sanvito, Colombelli & Colombo, 2022). Observations also showed that there was a problem of power outages frequently which was among the limitations of using electric stoves in rural households.…”