USAID Southern Africa Energy Program Performance Management and Evaluation Plan

SAEP will employ a nimble approach to design, deploy, monitor, and sustain interventions that are compatible with and responsive to the evolving needs of the region over the next five years. The program recognizes that in order to sustainably advance the accessibility, reliability, and security of the regional energy ecosystem, it must promote energy enabling environment reforms, stimulate private sector participation, and promote new investment within the power sector. SAEP aims to increase electricity availability and access in Southern Africa while objectively quantifying and measuring progress towards five key outcomes. These outcomes include improved regulation, planning, and procurement for energy; improved commercial viability of utilities; improved regional harmonization and cross-border trade; the demonstration and scaling of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and practices; and increased human and institutional capacity. As a result of activities and interventions targeting these outcomes, the program aims to meet the following goals: 3,000 MW of new generation capacity, 1,000 MW of new transmission capacity, and 3 million new connections. SAEP will achieve these outcomes by strategically aligning energy reform and electrification goals with investment opportunities, local and regional resources, and human capital. This includes employing a results-oriented framework for decision-making, which drives the identification, prioritization, and selection of intervention activities, and programming with the aim to unlock private sector investment and to move transactions forward for increased generation and access to electricity. To facilitate further private sector investment, the team will implement the Energy Reform Cycle (ERC) Technical Approach, which identifies private sector-led energy projects with the greatest potential to succeed and highlights the policy, regulatory, operational, and institutional changes needed to accelerate their progress to financial close. SAEP will work to cultivate enduring partnerships and alliances with local, regional, and national institutions and will proactively engage with relevant communities through the Catalyzing Local Opportunities Fund (CLOF). The program will also employ a monitoring and evaluation approach to track progress towards its outcomes and goals. This approach includes the use of performance indicators, baseline and target settings, data collection and management, data quality assurance, and data analysis and reporting. The program will also prioritize learning and adaptation, using an approach to learning that emphasizes the use of data and evidence to inform decision-making and improve program performance. The program's monitoring and evaluation approach will be guided by a set of performance indicators, which will be tracked and reported on a regular basis. These indicators will include measures of energy access, energy efficiency, and renewable energy, as well as indicators of program implementation and impact. The program will also use a set of guiding learning principles to inform its approach to learning and adaptation, including the use of data and evidence to inform decision-making and the prioritization of learning and adaptation activities. Overall, SAEP aims to make a significant contribution to the development of the energy sector in Southern Africa, by promoting energy enabling environment reforms, stimulating private sector participation, and promoting new investment within the power sector. The program's approach to monitoring and evaluation will be critical to its success, as it will provide the data and evidence needed to inform decision-making and improve program performance.