30 April 2012: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released a report on integrating energy access and employment opportunities. The report was funded by the Government of Denmark and is titled “Integrating Energy Access and Employment Creation to Accelerate Progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Using case studies from Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, South Africa and South Sudan, the report demonstrates that complementary policies and programmes can improve the beneficial impact of energy access on unemployment, economic growth, and progress towards the MDGs. The report identifies barriers to, and drivers of, scaling up energy access, including via decentralized and renewable energy options, and provides guidance on maximizing the contribution of energy services to employment generation, and consequently to the MDGs.

The report makes numerous policy recommendations to achieve universal energy access while maximizing the contribution of decentralized and renewable energies related to: improved regulation and planning; enabling private sector and community action; and coordinated action at the international level. [UNDP Press Release] [Publication: Integrating Energy Access and Employment Creation to Accelerate Progress on the MDGs in Sub-Saharan Africa]