Energy Access Relief Fund – technical assistance

This project represents funds set aside for the technical assistance as part of the Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF) project. For administrative reasons sometimes the funds identified for this purpose are included in the main project budget and sometimes as in this case they are assigned a separate project number. The technical assistance component assists companies supported by the EARF Fund (which is funded by GAC through an operational repayable contribution). It seeks to improve and implement environmental social management systems and create a baseline and benchmark of these systems to be used by the broader energy investment market.

The expected outcomes of this technical assistance include: (1) improved capacities of energy access companies to implement Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS) including gender-lens investment approaches; (2) promoted portfolio companies' ESMS practices; (3) defined common ESMS standards together with other stakeholders and in-country associations; and (4) improved engagement of EARF portfolio companies with local and international renewable energy and solar associations.