Urgent rebuilding rural communities

• Identify and build on existing assets. 
  
• Engage all members of the community to plan for the future.
• Take advantage of outside funding.
• Create incentives for redevelopment, and encourage investment in the community.
• Encourage cooperation within the community and across the region.
• Support a clean and healthy environment.

Helping those in need

• Modern energy access is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and governments should consider the entire spectrum of opportunities offered by off-grid renewable energy solutions for expanding affordable, reliable and sustainable access to households, support livelihoods, enhance delivery of essential services (e.g., health) and strengthen gender equality.
• National level electrification strategies and plans should mainstream off-grid renewable energy solutions and facilitate co-operation between actors.
• To ensure effective implementation of energy access plans, institutional and legal frameworks at the national level should clearly define roles and responsibilities of public sector institutions, streamline administrative procedures and ensure adequate capacities.
• To ensure private sector involvement in energy access, the policy and regulatory framework should provide the right set of incentives and risk coverage to private investors and alleviate the barriers to unlock financing for the sector.
• Regulations are of particular importance in the case of renewable energy mini-grids where governments have the dual role of ensuring economic viability for developers while ensuring tariffs are not too high for underserved communities. Furthermore, with the right set of regulations in place, main grid arrival, often seen as a major risk for mini-grid developers, can become an opportunity both for developers and utilities alike.
• The financial instruments and products on offer from banks and other financing institutions do not always match the sector demands. To foster innovation in the sector and accelerate deployment, financing instruments on offer need to be tailored especially to the requirements of end users and small enterprises.
• Putting in place the right ecosystem for accelerating off-grid renewable energy deployment requires efforts to develop the necessary human capital by building capacities across the off-grid value chain and supporting local entrepreneurship.
• Off-grid renewable energy should be viewed as a job creating opportunity as it has the potential to create millions of jobs across the value chain.
• Efficient end-use appliances need to be included in the off-grid ecosystem to ensure affordability and long-term sustainability.

Millions of people worldwide are living in regions lacking national grids - the basic infrastructures of water, electricity and sewage. This lack of grid is referred to as living 'Off-Grid'. Living off-grid has a direct impact on the quality of life and health, and it is the most prominent indicator of global injustice in the distribution of resources. In most cases, there is no future prospect of obtaining traditional grid connectivity.

Consequently, there is a need to formulate solid strategies and tools to deal with the implications of living off-grid. Implications such as irregular water supply for drinking and irrigation or the need to travel great distances to reach a safe water source, lack of electricity for operating medical clinics, schools and domestic homes, sanitation issues, difficulties in cooling and storing food and medicine safely, even charging small appliances like cell phones or laptops. The list goes on...

"Countries attending the United Nations Climate Change in September 2019 again doubled their individual contributions to ensure the targets are achieved. ."

The attempt to deal with these ramifications is part of an overall effort to tackle world poverty in developing countries. Currently, there are numerous organizations trying to deal with off-grid regions, such as the UN, the World Bank, and other aid organizations and businesses. Support in these areas cannot be planned without the familiarity with the sociological structures and individual needs and culture of these communities. In the past, several unreasonably complicated or high maintenance technologies were sent to off-grid areas with the best of intentions, yet these provided unsuitable solutions for the local people.

Make african rural villages, towns, and shacks smart again