Updated Mozambique Route-to-Market Geospatial Tool for Off-Grid Energy Service Providers

The tool brings together geospatial data and techniques to map population density, electrification, and road infrastructure data. Version 6 of the tool focuses on an update to healthcare facilities within the District data, nearly doubling the number of healthcare locations shown in previous versions. Approximately 4.1 million Mozambican households have no access to electricity, with those with access concentrated in urban Maputo and rural access low at 6%. The Government of Mozambique aims to increase annual electrification rates by four-fold to 530,000 connections per year to attain universal access by 2030. SHS companies have a key role to play in providing access to electricity to unserved areas in Mozambique, with an estimated 300,000 connections potential by 2022. USAID aims to equip these companies, as well as mini-grid developers, with tools to help them overcome barriers to scale and expand their operations. The RTM tool provides a consolidated and digestible way for SHS companies to refine their market expansion strategy by selecting the highest potential areas and locating their service centers and sales agents in or close to those areas. Mini-grid developers can use the tool to identify high potential future mini-grid sites for their expansion pipeline. USAID support to off-grid energy service providers in Mozambique includes operational support, which includes RTM strategy support, research and analysis, and business efficiency improvements available on request. The benefits of the RTM tool include helping to identify high potential geographic markets in Mozambique for expansion, enabling easy navigation for targeted views, and supporting efficient delivery of products for increased sales. The goal of USAID SAEP's support to the Mozambique off-grid sector is to enable SHS companies to accelerate their growth and improve their operations, thereby helping to raise Mozambique's electricity access rate. The RTM tool is available for download, along with instructional guides and video tutorials, to assist users in navigating the tool and accessing the data. The tool is part of the USAID Southern Africa Energy Program, a five-year initiative to improve access to energy and increase power generation in Southern Africa. The program is a part of Power Africa, a U.S. government-led initiative launched in 2013 to increase electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa.