INSIDE STORY: Working towards a Smart Energy Path - Experience from Benin, Mali and Togo

The EERA project worked with Benin, Mali, and Togo to develop a 'Smart Energy Path' focused on sustainable, participatory energy planning. While these countries prioritize collective energy services for health and education over household energy, they have not yet fast-tracked renewable energy. The project emphasizes the need for multi-sectoral decision-making and clear regulatory roles for subnational governments as power is decentralized.

• The 'Energy, Ecodevelopment and Resilience in Africa (EERA)' project aimed to help Benin, Mali, and Togo implement a 'Smart Energy Path', a strategy designed to meet energy needs through a participatory decision-making process in a resilient and environmentally sustainable manner. To achieve this, the project strengthened institutional and technical capacities and established regional and national liaison committees to integrate these principles into national energy frameworks.
• The governments of Benin, Mali, and Togo prioritize collective energy services—those providing clean water and benefits for education and health—over household energy because of their role in poverty alleviation and development. Despite this, renewable energy has not been fast-tracked, partly due to a lack of reliable, recent data regarding energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate change vulnerability.
• All three countries are currently decentralizing power to subnational governments, necessitating regulatory frameworks that define the role of these authorities in energy programs. The document asserts that national energy policy priorities and timeframes should be determined by involving non-energy sectors, including development, decentralization, education, and health, in decision-making committees.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2015). INSIDE STORY: Working towards a Smart Energy Path - Experience from Benin, Mali and Togo. https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-working-towards-a-smart-energy-pathway

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. INSIDE STORY: Working towards a Smart Energy Path - Experience from Benin, Mali and Togo. 2015. https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-working-towards-a-smart-energy-pathway.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=INSIDE STORY: Working towards a Smart Energy Path - Experience from Benin, Mali and Togo |date=17 August 2015 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-working-towards-a-smart-energy-pathway |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2015inside, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{INSIDE STORY: Working towards a Smart Energy Path - Experience from Benin, Mali and Togo}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = aug, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-working-towards-a-smart-energy-pathway}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }