Mid-term evaluation of the Liberian energy sector support program : final report

LESSP interventions were designed to effect the following changes in Liberia: (1) increased, sustainable access and affordability of electricity within urban and rural poor communities; (2) improved performance of local governments, civil society and the private sector in monitoring, regulating and managing the use of renewable energy; (3) an increase in the percentage of households and businesses utilizing clean energy, and a corresponding increase in economic activity; and (4) policy changes that improve the investment climate for the energy sector. Key evaluation objectives of the mid-term evaluation included the following: (1) identifying and assessing progress toward achieving each LESSP objective; (2) identifying unexpected implementation obstacles and the program's responses; (3) identifying which aspects of the program worked, which did not, and why; (4) assessing the effectiveness of the program's grant component; (5) analyzing the relationships between resources available, resources used and results achieved to determine the specific cost-effectiveness of USAID's programming in each objective, as well as the program as a whole; and, (6) making specific recommendations for the final two years of the program, including eventual modification of the program. The evaluation team's findings suggest the following: (1) strengthen the government of Liberia's (GOL) capacity to implement plans for rural electrification as expressed in the National Energy Sector Policy; (2) establish commercially viable pilot plants that provide renewable energy services to population centers in Bong, Lofa and Nimba counties; and (3) collaborate with other international donors for the expansion of Monrovia's power distribution network. (Excerpt, modified)