GEF-6 Request for medium-sized projectAPPROVAL
Type of Trust Fund:
For more information about GEF, visit TheGEF.org
PART I: Project Identification
Project Title: / Promoting access to renewable energy and development of IT tools for rural communities of CameroonCountry(ies): / Cameroon / GEF Project ID:[1] / 9116
GEF Agency(ies): / (select)AfDBAsDBCIDBSAEBRDFAOIADBIFADIUCNUNDPUNEPUNIDOWBWWF-US (select)AfDBAsDBCIDBSAEBRDFAOIADBIFADIUCNUNDPUNEPUNIDOWBWWF-US (select)AfDBAsDBCIDBSAEBRDFAOIADBIFADIUCNUNDPUNEPUNIDOWBWWF-US / GEF Agency Project ID:
Other Executing Partner(s): / MINIPOSTEL/MINEE / Submission Date: / 23.03.2015
GEF Focal Area(s): / (select)BiodiversityClimate ChangeChemicals and WastesInternational WatersLand DegradationMulti-focal AreasIAP Set AsideNon-Grant Set Aside / Project Duration (Months) / 24
Integrated Approach Pilot / IAP-Cities IAP-Commodities IAP-Food Security
Name of Parent Program: / [if applicable] / Agency Fee ($) / 164,016
A. Focal AREA STRATEGYFramework and Program[2]:
Focal Area Objectives/programs / Focal Area Outcomes /Trust Fund
/(in $)
GEF Project Financing
/Co-financing
(select)BD-1 Program 1BD-1 Program 2BD-2 Program 3BD-2 Program 4BD-2 Program 5BD-3 Program 6BD-3 Program 7BD-3 Program 8BD-4 Program 9BD-4 Program 10BD-EALD-1 Program 1LD-1 Program 2LD-2 Program 3LD-3 Program 4LD-4 Program 5LD-EAIW-1 Program 1IW-1 Program 2IW-2 Program 3IW-2 Program4IW-3 Program 5IW-3 Program 6IW-3 Program 7(select)CCM-1 Program 1CCM-1 Program 2CCM-2 Program 3CCM-2 Program 4CCM-3 Program 5CCM-EACCA-1CCA-2CCA-3CW-1 Program 1CW-1 Program 2CW-2 Program 3CW-2 Program 4CW-2 Program 5CW-2 Program 6(select)SFM-1SFM-2SFM-3SFM-4CCCD-1CCCD-2CCCD-3CCCD-4CCCD-5SGPIAP-Sustainable CitiesIAP-Commodity Supply ChainIAP-Food Security / Promote timely development, demonstration and financing of low carbon technologies and mitigation options / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / 1,226,484 / 20,000,000(select)BD-1 Program 1BD-1 Program 2BD-2 Program 3BD-2 Program 4BD-2 Program 5BD-3 Program 6BD-3 Program 7BD-3 Program 8BD-4 Program 9BD-4 Program 10BD-EALD-1 Program 1LD-1 Program 2LD-2 Program 3LD-3 Program 4LD-4 Program 5LD-EAIW-1 Program 1IW-1 Program 2IW-2 Program 3IW-2 Program4IW-3 Program 5IW-3 Program 6IW-3 Program 7(select)CCM-1 Program 1CCM-1 Program 2CCM-2 Program 3CCM-2 Program 4CCM-3 Program 5CCM-EACCA-1CCA-2CCA-3CW-1 Program 1CW-1 Program 2CW-2 Program 3CW-2 Program 4CW-2 Program 5CW-2 Program 6(select)SFM-1SFM-2SFM-3SFM-4CCCD-1CCCD-2CCCD-3CCCD-4CCCD-5SGPIAP-Sustainable CitiesIAP-Commodity Supply ChainIAP-Food Security / Develop and demonstrate innovative policy packages and market initiatives to foster new range of mitigation actions / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / 500,000 / 9,000,000
(select)BD-1 Program 1BD-1 Program 2BD-2 Program 3BD-2 Program 4BD-2 Program 5BD-3 Program 6BD-3 Program 7BD-3 Program 8BD-4 Program 9BD-4 Program 10BD-EALD-1 Program 1LD-1 Program 2LD-2 Program 3LD-3 Program 4LD-4 Program 5LD-EAIW-1 Program 1IW-1 Program 2IW-2 Program 3IW-2 Program4IW-3 Program 5IW-3 Program 6IW-3 Program 7(select)CCM-1 Program 1CCM-1 Program 2CCM-2 Program 3CCM-2 Program 4CCM-3 Program 5CCM-EACCA-1CCA-2CCA-3CW-1 Program 1CW-1 Program 2CW-2 Program 3CW-2 Program 4CW-2 Program 5CW-2 Program 6(select)SFM-1SFM-2SFM-3SFM-4CCCD-1CCCD-2CCCD-3CCCD-4CCCD-5SGPIAP-Sustainable CitiesIAP-Commodity Supply ChainIAP-Food Security / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B
(select)BD-1 Program 1BD-1 Program 2BD-2 Program 3BD-2 Program 4BD-2 Program 5BD-3 Program 6BD-3 Program 7BD-3 Program 8BD-4 Program 9BD-4 Program 10BD-EALD-1 Program 1LD-1 Program 2LD-2 Program 3LD-3 Program 4LD-4 Program 5LD-EAIW-1 Program 1IW-1 Program 2IW-2 Program 3IW-2 Program4IW-3 Program 5IW-3 Program 6IW-3 Program 7(select)CCM-1 Program 1CCM-1 Program 2CCM-2 Program 3CCM-2 Program 4CCM-3 Program 5CCM-EACCA-1CCA-2CCA-3CW-1 Program 1CW-1 Program 2CW-2 Program 3CW-2 Program 4CW-2 Program 5CW-2 Program 6(select)SFM-1SFM-2SFM-3SFM-4CCCD-1CCCD-2CCCD-3CCCD-4CCCD-5SGPIAP-Sustainable CitiesIAP-Commodity Supply ChainIAP-Food Security / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B
(select)BD-1 Program 1BD-1 Program 2BD-2 Program 3BD-2 Program 4BD-2 Program 5BD-3 Program 6BD-3 Program 7BD-3 Program 8BD-4 Program 9BD-4 Program 10BD-EALD-1 Program 1LD-1 Program 2LD-2 Program 3LD-3 Program 4LD-4 Program 5LD-EAIW-1 Program 1IW-1 Program 2IW-2 Program 3IW-2 Program4IW-3 Program 5IW-3 Program 6IW-3 Program 7(select)CCM-1 Program 1CCM-1 Program 2CCM-2 Program 3CCM-2 Program 4CCM-3 Program 5CCM-EACCA-1CCA-2CCA-3CW-1 Program 1CW-1 Program 2CW-2 Program 3CW-2 Program 4CW-2 Program 5CW-2 Program 6(select)SFM-1SFM-2SFM-3SFM-4CCCD-1CCCD-2CCCD-3CCCD-4CCCD-5SGPIAP-Sustainable CitiesIAP-Commodity Supply ChainIAP-Food Security / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B
Total project costs / 1,726,484 / 29,000,000
- Project Framework
Project Objective: To encourage the use and upscaling of renewable energy technologies to mitigate GHGs, ensure a more sustainable power supply for ICT purposes, and promote the development of solar technologies.
Project Components/
Programs / Financing Type[3] / Project Outcomes / Project Outputs /
Trust Fund
/(in $)
GEF Project Financing
/Confirmed Co-financing
1. Strengthening policy and institutional mechanisms to support the development of the greenICT network / (select)TAInv / 1.1 Favorablepolicy environment and institutional framework established to foster accelerated low GHG development in green ICT technologies, renewable energy and energy efficiency. / 1.1 Appropriate policy and financial measures identified to incentivize development of green ICT, renewable energy, and energy efficiency technologies.1.2 Updated roadmap to guide green ICT policy development which includes the identification of financing sources. / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / 140,000 / 3,500,000
2. Undertaking technical studies on the potential use of renewable resources and energy efficient appliances in rural areas to power/ operate community centers and other infrastructures. / (select)TAInv / 2.1 Accelerated adoption of innovative technologies and management practices for GHG emissions reduction by mainstreaming the uptake of renewables powered ICT centers and other off-grid applications. / 2.1 Assessments of exploitation potential of renewables for powering ICT centers and other off-grid applications
2.2 Action plan formulated to identify opportunity for inclusion of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency appliances for use in ICT centers in rural communities.
2.3 Identification of needs and requirements for the establishment of local networks and solar equipment for community centers. / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / 140,000 / 3,500,000
3. Provision of renewable energy powered infrastructure / (select)TAInv / 3.1 Low GHG technologies and practices for ICT and community centers deployed and demonstrated. / 3.1 13 Solar energy systems to generate 40,000 kWh per day and basic ICT equipment, including computers and photocopiers for52 community centers andother buildings at strategic locations for demonstration and capacity building
3.2 Community centres reinforced in strategic locations with renewable energy systems and ICT equipment
3.3 Regional/ national awareness campaigns carried out to sensitize population about green community centres, their purpose and the advantages of using renewables and energy efficiency appliances. / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / 1,109,531 / 18,400,000
4. Knowledge Management and Monitoring and Evaluation / (select)TAInv / 4.1 Project Management based on results and lessons learnt are captured and appropriately disseminated / 4.1 Lessons and best practices documented and disseminated.
4.2 Monitoring and Evaluation documentation prepared. / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / 180,000 / 2,500,000
Subtotal / 1,569,531 / 27,900,000
Project Management Cost (PMC)[4] / (select)GEFTFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / 156,953 / 1,100,000
Total GEF Project Financing / 1,726,484 / 29,000,000
- Sources of Co-financing for the project by name and by type
Please include confirmed co-financing letters for the project with this form.
Sources of Co-financing / Name of Co-financier / Type of Co-financing / Amount ($)(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / African Development Bank / (select)GrantLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown / 27,000,000
(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / Government of Cameroon / (select)GrantsLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown / 2,000,000
(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / (select)GrantsLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown
(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / (select)GrantsLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown
(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / (select)GrantsLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown
(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / (select)GrantsLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown
(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / (select)GrantsLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown
(select)GEF AgencyRecipient GovernmentDonor AgencyCSOBeneficiariesPrivate SectorOthers / (select)GrantsLoansEquityGuaranteesIn-kindUnknown
Total Co-financing / ,ntax Error, ,,
- GEF/LDCF/SCCF Resources Requested by Agency(IES), Trust Fund, Country(ies), Focal Area and Programming of Funds
GEF Agency / Trust Fund / Country/
Regional/Global / Focal Area / Programming of Funds / (in $)
GEF Project Financing (a) / Agency Feea) (b) / Total (c)=a+b
(select)AfDBAsDBCIDBSAEBRDFAOIADBIUCNIFADUNDPUNEPUNIDOWBWWF-US / (select)GEF TFLDCFNPIFSCCF-ASCCF-B / Cameroon / (select)BiodiversityClimate ChangeChemicals and WastesInternational WatersLand DegradationMulti-focal AreasIAP Set AsideNon-Grant Set Aside / (select as applicable)POPSMercuryODSSAICMIAP-CitiesIAP-CommoditiesIAP-Food SecuritySFMBiodiversityClimate Change Land DegradationInternational WatersCross-Cutting CapacityNon-Grant Set Aside / 1,726,484 / 164,016 / ,ntax Error, ,,
Total Grant Resources / 1,726,484 / 164,016 / ,ntax Error, ,,
a) Refer to the Fee Policy for GEF Partner Agencies.
- Project’s Target Contributions to Global Environmental Benefits[5]
Provide the expected project targets as appropriate.
Corporate Results / Replenishment Targets / Project Targets- Maintain globally significant biodiversity and the ecosystem goods and services that it provides to society
- Sustainable land management in production systems (agriculture, rangelands, and forest landscapes)
- Promotion of collective management of transboundary water systems and implementation of the full range of policy, legal, and institutional reforms and investments contributing to sustainable use and maintenance of ecosystem services
20% of globally over-exploited fisheries (by volume) moved to more sustainable levels / Percent of fisheries, by volume
- 4. Support to transformational shifts towards a low-emission and resilient development path
- Increase in phase-out, disposal and reduction of releases of POPs, ODS, mercury and other chemicals of global concern
Reduction of 1000 tons of Mercury / metric tons
Phase-out of 303.44 tons of ODP (HCFC) / ODP tons
- Enhance capacity of countries to implement MEAs (multilateral environmental agreements) and mainstream into national and sub-national policy, planning financial and legal frameworks
Functional environmental information systems are established to support decision-making in at least 10 countries / Number of Countries:
- Does the project include a “non-grant” instrument?
(If non-grant instruments are used, provide an indicative calendar of expected reflows to your Agency and to the GEF/LDCF/SCCF Trust Fund) in Annex B.
- Project preparation grant (ppg)[6]
Is Project Preparation Grant requested? Yes No If no, skip item G.
PPG Amount requested by agency(ies), Trust Fund, country(ies) and the Programming of funds*
GEF Agency / Trust Fund / Country/Regional/Global / Focal Area / Programming
of Funds / (in $)
PPG (a) / Agency
Fee[7](b) / Total
c = a + b
(select)AfDBAsDBCIDBSAEBRDFAOIADBIUCNIFADUNDPUNEPUNIDOWBWWF-US / (select)GEF TFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / Cameroon / (select)BiodiversityClimate ChangeChemicals and WastesInternational WatersLand DegradationMulti-focal AreasIAP Set AsideNon-Grant Set Aside / (select as applicable)POPSMercuryODSSAICMIAP-CitiesIAP-CommoditiesIAP-Food SecuritySFMCross-Cutting Capacity / 100,000 / 9,500 / 1,095
(select)AfDBAsDBCIDBSAEBRDFAOIADBIUCNIFADUNDPUNEPUNIDOWBWWF-US / (select)GEF TFLDCFSCCF-ASCCF-B / (select)BiodiversityClimate ChangeChemicals and WastesInternational WatersLand DegradationMulti-focal AreasIAP Set AsideNon-Grant Set Aside / (select as applicable)POPSMercuryODSSAICMIAP-CitiesIAP-CommoditiesIAP-Food SecuritySFMCross-Cutting Capacity / ,
Total PPG Amount / ,ntax Error, ,, / ,ntax Error, ,, / ,ntax Error, ,,
part ii: project JustiFication
- Project Description. Briefly describe: a) the global environmental and/or adaptation problems, root causes and barriers that need to be addressed; b) the baseline scenario or any associated baseline projects, c) the proposed alternative scenario, with a brief description of expected outcomes and components of the project, d) incremental/ additional cost reasoning and expected contributions from the baseline, the GEFTF, LDCF/SCCF and co-financing; e) global environmental benefits (GEFTF), and adaptation benefits (LDCF/SCCF); and f) innovation, sustainability and potential for scaling up.
A1.a - The global environmental and/or adaptation problems, root causes and barriers that need to be addressed.
Cameroon is located in central Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. The southern regions are generally humid and equatorial, but the climate becomes semi‐arid in the north. The geography of Cameroon is highly diverse and its topographic features translate into climatic variations along this north‐south gradient.Cameroon is a resource rich country heavily dependent on revenues from oil, timber, and agricultural products. Despite positive development prospects in the early 1980s, Cameroon remains a low middle income country and economic gains have yet to translate into improved living conditions for the majority of the country’s population. Almost 40% of the population continues to live below the national poverty line and Cameroon ranks 152st out of 187 nations in the Human Development Index (2013).
The country is endowed with an abundance of renewable energy (RE) sources and has enormous potential to become a leader in Africa on this front. However, this potential has not been fully explored or harnessed. Conventional solid fuels, such as charcoal, are largely used for cooking and household lighting needs. The major energy sources in Cameroon are petroleum, coal,hydropower, biofuels and waste(their percentage distributions are shown in Fig 2). In terms of electricity, 75% of Cameroon's electric power is obtained from hydropower schemes while the remaining from other renewable energy sources. Despite significant hydropower, electricity is not evenly distributed and only about 20% of the population is connected to the national grid, the majority of which urban. Furthermore, there is no explicit or articulated energy policy in Cameroon and no specific guidelines on renewable energy specifically. The country introduced an energy policy in 1990 but was never implemented. The current lack of a clear energy policy must be urgently addressed by the government.
Cameroon is a signatory to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The country has also submitted its Initial National Communication to the UNFCCC and a Note Verbale on NAMAs in 2010. In terms of access to electricity, as in most African countries, the energy sector in Cameroon is facing both structural and technical difficulties which have received the attention of the Government and development partners. Under Cameroon’s vision for long-term development, the Government has prepared a poverty reduction strategy aimed at transforming Cameroon into an emerging country by 2035. This strategy aims to:(i) reduce poverty to a socially acceptable level;(ii) ensure the country advances to middle-income status, and(iii) transform Cameroon into an industrialized country. However, without adequate energy infrastructure, it will be difficult to achieve such objectives given that the availability of energy is an essential condition for improved growth and economic competitiveness. The country’s current 22% electrification rate remains low and is a handicap to the production of goods and services. In rural areas, the coverage rate is a low 3.5%. The Government’s objective is to increase the country’s overall electrification rate to over 48% and the rural electrification rate to over 20% by 2020.
Due to such low electrification, rural communities are often not connected to mainstream media and cannot receive important data and information (for example meteoreological). To address this problem,the government has initiated reforms in the telecommunications and ICT sector resulting in improvements across the sector. Telephone service penetration stood at 9.8% in late 2004 but increased to more than 70 lines per 100 inhabitants in December 2013, while the number of Internet subscribers increased from 3,000 in 2005 to nearly 400,000 in 2010. More than 5,000 direct jobs and 300,000 indirect jobs have been created by the ICT sector between January 2005 and December 2013. The mobile network coverage extends over 80% of the Cameroonian territory. To respond to a growing demand for telecommunication services, the government has consistently made ICT and telecommunications a national priority for investment and development. This provides a unique opportunity to pilot an innovative solar energy based system to power data and IT centers for easy scale up in the future.
Barriers
Costs: Solar energy is currently in the pilot stage in Cameroon, attributable toseveral interlinking factors that have hindered the development of the industry. The Government has not provided the requisite backing and financing needed to support the sector in its early stages. This is very likely due to the high capital costs associated with solar technologies.
Low Public Awareness: The general public is not properly sensitized or aware of the benefits of solar and other renewable energies.This is an area in which the government should invest increased resources and attention.
Lack of technical Know How: There is a lack of solar infrastructure that can be integrated into the national grid. The few pilot projects currently under implementation in Cameroon have yet to be fully utilized due to a number of factors, particularly inadequate maintenance and low quality materials. Additionally, solar energy has not been widely used as it requires large installation of panels to produce even a fraction of the energy required for energy intensive data centers. This model has been done in developed countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, but never in West Africa.
High Costs: As previously mentioned, solar has not been widely used in the public sector because of high operational costs. Additionally, the technology has not been used inIT data centerssince IT infrastructure is itself expensive, and adding solar technology to it makes it even more so. Furthermore, this is an innovative model that has not yet been piloted in Cameroon or in the region. Multipurpose community telecommunication centers, like those that will be targeted in this project, are mostly managed by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and currently receive financial support from the Special Telecommunications Fund, which links telecommunications to the national development agenda. This project will support the Cameroonian government in putting in place a sustainable management model that will ensure the efficient functioning of these centers while upscaling solar power in a truly innovative fashion.This pilot project aims to showcase how renewable energy can be used to contribute significantly to the sustainable development of the IT sector by eventually reducing their operational costs, once solar is brought to scale.
A1.b - The baseline scenario and any associated baseline projects
According to Cameroon's Initial National Communication to the UNFCCC, the energy sector accounts for about 9% of total GHG emissions or the equivalent of 205,230 tons (however, the data available is outdated, with documents referring to data sets from 1994). Although this a relatively small contribution to total GHG emissions, it is a growing source. Renewable energy is widely used in Cameroon - mainly hydroelectric power - which is a major source of commercial energy, along with petroleum and charcoal. Yet, it is increasingly under threat due to the negative impacts of climate change. Increasingly extreme weather patterns have resulted in decreasing rainfall and rapid soil erosion, compounded byevaporating bodies of water (lakes, rivers, etc.) and siltation of water sources.