| dc.description.abstract | Energy access remains a global challenge despite the interventions by national and international
organizations. This challenge is more evident in Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than two-thirds
of the population lack electricity. In Uganda, the government has introduced various measures to
increase access to energy, but energy poverty is still a significant challenge. Again, the binary
measurement of energy access has proven insufficient to reflect Uganda's actual energy poverty
level. It defines energy access based on the Population with electricity and those without
electricity, leaving some crucial components of energy access such as affordability, reliability, and
safety. Still, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal SDG-7 seeks to ensure affordable,
reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030. Through the Energy Sector Management
Assistance Program (ESMAP), the World Bank proposed the Multi-Tier Framework (MTF) as an
ideal tool for measuring energy access. It captures the multiple aspects of energy in line with
SDG7. 17 energy developing countries have been adopted as pilot case studies for this MTF which
has proven quite complex for reporting\tracking energy access because of the multiple data it
requires.
With a mixed-method design, this research investigates the challenges of using the Multi-Tier
Framework utilizing a sample of 12 solar and hydro-based energy companies and eight clean
energy companies in Uganda. Results suggest that the MTF is intricate, yet, an ideal tool for
tracking progress towards SDG7 because of its multi-dimensional nature spread on energy access
tiers. This study also showed that MTF could be used for impact reporting by clean energy
companies in Uganda because data collection is digitalized, and customers are sensitized to
provide all information needed by energy companies. Further, the results show that the
contribution of private energy companies to energy access upscaling was outstanding despite their
huge tax obligation. The study recommends using the multi-tier framework by both government
and private-owned energy companies better to measure the trends of energy access in Uganda.
Better policies, programs, and projects should be designed to enhance energy access in Uganda,
with the ultimate goal of achieving affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. | en_US |
