The Clean Energy Solutions Center, with funding from USAID’s Power Africa initiative, provided technical assistance to the government of Togo’s Regulatory Authority for the Electricity Sector (ARSE), on the development of a regulatory and legal framework to support off-grid electrification in the country. The Government of Togo is interested in developing a bankable regulatory framework both for mini-grids and for solar home systems to attract greater private sector investment to the sector. A range of options were reviewed, including the PAYGO model for solar home systems, which relies on available funding in lieu of financing.

Impact of Assistance

The project has resulted in significant progress on outlining the key policy and regulatory measures for the off-grid sector in Togo. Progress is underway to simplify and improve the customs process for importing solar and other renewable energy products in the country via the establishment of a registry of “certified importers” that would be granted special exemptions and accelerated processing for importing solar and other renewable energy products into the country. Currently, Togo’s government is initiating a PAYGO finance model and has awarded a contract to a solar system manufacturer to achieve an installation target of 300,000 solar home systems by 2022.