ENERGIZING FINANCE: MISSING THE MARK

This executive summary from Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) analyzes the gap between financial commitments and actual disbursements for energy projects in 20 high-impact countries (HICs) across Africa and Asia. Using OECD Creditor Reporting System (CRS) data, the report highlights that while energy finance disbursements grew faster than overall development finance between 2013 and 2018, they still significantly lag behind commitments, hindering the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7).

• Energy finance disbursements in high-impact countries (HICs) grew by more than 61 percent between 2013 and 2018, which is significantly faster than the approximately 12 percent increase seen in overall development finance disbursements for the same countries and period.
• There is a substantial gap between energy finance commitments and disbursements; from 2013 to 2018, disbursements totaled USD 32 billion compared to commitments of USD 52 billion. To meet SDG7 energy access targets, annual disbursements of approximately USD 45 billion are required between 2020 and 2030.
• Disbursement and project delays remain pervasive in HICs. Between 2002 and 2018, 58 percent of planned energy sector disbursements and 49 percent of projects were delayed, although this represents a slight improvement over 2017 figures.
• Disbursement delays are driven by project-specific factors, including cumbersome administrative processes and design flaws. Examples include federal-level administrative delays for a GEF-UNDP project in India's Jharkhand and Manipur states, and the Promoting Renewable Energy Programme (PREP) in Rwanda, where biodigester sub-projects failed to account for local consumption habits and capacity.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2020). ENERGIZING FINANCE: MISSING THE MARK. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-11/EF-2020-MM-ES-SEforALL.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. ENERGIZING FINANCE: MISSING THE MARK. 2020. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-11/EF-2020-MM-ES-SEforALL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=ENERGIZING FINANCE: MISSING THE MARK |date=2020 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-11/EF-2020-MM-ES-SEforALL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2020energizing, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{ENERGIZING FINANCE: MISSING THE MARK}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-11/EF-2020-MM-ES-SEforALL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }