Recommendation 15

HM Government Acknowledged

Agree 63. The FCDO agrees with this and remains committed to using its convening power to bring together communities, innovators, and institutions to co-design solutions that deliver improved energy access. As part of the UK’s four development shifts, we will focus on moving from ‘International Intervention to Local Leadership’, working increasingly with local partners including civil society. The TEA programme supports African (and wider southern) energy access innovation, capacity and leadership including through master’s courses, job placements, and in-work leadership training (including the Future Females course for female leaders). 2,000 Africans have already benefitted from leadership training in energy access businesses and 1,000 young Africans from job placements. 64. The FCDO also co-funds 30 TEA Chevening Scholarships to study at clean energy master’s courses in the UK (20 have so far completed their studies). The scholars are from sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, and gain access to world class UK University education, as well as a TEA mentor and opportunities to connect with other TEA researchers, and tailored career support. The TEA platform finishes its second phase in March 2027, but a business case extension is being prepared for consideration in the first half of 2026, with a view to extending the programme to at least 2030 (the SDG7 target date). 65. The Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) programme hosts a regular series of ‘summer schools’, inviting young academics, policymakers and stakeholders to attend intensive training courses in the use of open-source energy systems planning tools, with mentoring opportunities. To date more than 800 participants from developing countries have been trained in these tools, with more than a third of participants being women. 66. The UK has also been contributing to community-led energy access through our evaluation and learning. FCDO ODA Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) evidence suggests that longer-term and more effective energy access intervention outcomes requires support to locally-led action and equitable partnerships between north and south. An example this demonstrated via the outcomes of the Rural Renewable Energy Project (RREP)7 which highlighted how locally owned systems improved access to electricity in health clinics and villages and assessed the socioeconomic benefits over time. Moving forward, in our policy and programme delivery, we will continue to embed lessons learnt, including on how to better work with local partnerships. 7 https://iati.fcdo.gov.uk/iati_documents/D0006802.pdf 6 Enabling Conditions for Success Predictability Conclusion and Recommendation 16 (Conclusion 13, paragraph 86) Without predictable support, both the quality and effectiveness of UK-funded energy access initiatives, as well as the expertise built up through years of engagement, are at risk. We recognise the importance of the new arrangements for ODA allocations in improving predictability at the departmental level. However, we would like to see this directly translated into greater programming predictability, to allow for stable planning, sustained partnerships, and long-term impact. Projects should be supported over their full life cycle to ensure the long-term success of UK support. (Recommendation 16, paragraph 87) The Government should commit to multi-year funding structures that support projects across their full life cycle. This should include not only initial deployment but also ongoing maintenance, technical assistance, and governance support. The aim is to ensure that local communities can benefit from energy systems over the long term and are able to become self-sustaining as soon as possible. Government Response: Partially Agree 67. In our ODA allocations and interventions, the UK prioritises predictability and stability in departmental budgets. Current arrangements provide clear annual allocations and include break clauses in contracts to manage risk while protecting live agreements. These measures aim to balance fiscal constraints with programming certainty, enabling teams to plan effectively and sustain partnerships, while retaining flexibility to adapt to changing priorities. 68. We recognise that projects cannot always be supported through their full life cycle for a range of reasons. Recent ICAI reviews highlight that past volatility in ODA budgets disrupted delivery, weakened partnerships, and risked losing technical expertise built over years. ICAI’s 2025 energy transition review found UK aid had strong impact but its portfolio was broad and diverse and risked a lack of coherence. It also identified the need for patient investment to support developing countries to adopt or transition to clean energy, and the tension against the shorter timeframes within which private investors tended to operate (the required finance exceeds public funds alone). 69. Moving forward, we aim to prioritise multi-year planning and gr