This End-Term Evaluation (ETE) of the Renewable Energy for Rural Development Phase II (RERDII) project was both summative and formative in nature, with the overall purpose of assessing project performance, identifying outcomes and generating learning for future rural electrification programming in Mozambique. The evaluation focused on the electricity component of RERDII, implemented by Enabel in partnership with FUNAE, which aimed to increase access to renewable energy in rural areas through the installation of five solar-powered mini-grids in the provinces of Nampula and Zambézia, while also supporting institutional strengthening and promoting the productive use of electricity.
The Evaluation covered the implementation period from the start of the specific agreement in March 2018 to the end of December 2024, when the five mini-grids had reached provisional acceptance, while also considering emerging operational issues and lessons relevant to final acceptance and handover in 2025.
Geographically, the evaluation covered the five mini-grid sites in Nampula and Zambézia, with field visits to selected sites and stakeholder consultations in Maputo.
Thematically, it assessed the project against the OECD-DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, while also considering gender, inclusion and other cross-cutting issues such as environmental safeguards.
Institutionally, the evaluation involved Enabel, FUNAE, MIREME, ARENE, provincial and district authorities, local communities, social institutions, beneficiaries, private operators and development partners active in Mozambique’s rural electrification sector.
The methodology combined desk review of project documentation, technical studies, monitoring data, financial and policy documents; scoping interviews with Enabel staff; key informant interviews with national, provincial and local stakeholders; focus group discussions with end beneficiaries and communities; field observation of mini-grid sites; and case studies documenting specific electrification outcomes, including job creation, productive use of electricity, beneficiary perceptions and constraints affecting sustainability.
Through this approach, the evaluation aimed to support accountability to partners and stakeholders, assess the socio-economic effects of rural electrification on households, SMEs and local communities, examine the performance and sustainability of operation and maintenance models, and formulate practical recommendations and lessons to inform future Enabel, FUNAE and climate-finance-supported interventions, including the envisaged Green Climate Fund rural electrification project.