NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, April 6, 2017

The UN Foundation recently formalized its cooperation with the Governments of Ghana and Uganda in supporting a new project in the energy, health and gender nexus. The project, which aims to power a total of 62 un-electrified or under-electrified primary care health facilities across both countries, adding an estimated 240 kWp of installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity to the health sector, is made possible by the support of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under its ‘Sustainable Energy for Women and Girls’ programme.

The goal of the project is to enable improved delivery of health services – primarily for maternal and child health – in primary health care facilities, through improved access to modern, affordable and sustainable electricity services. Speaking on behalf of the UN Foundation, Pete Ogden, Vice President for Energy, Climate, and the Environment, said: “Sustainable and reliable electricity is critical to providing quality health services, but is often unavailable or insufficient at the primary healthcare level.

With support from the UK government, the UN Foundation is working to demonstrate the importance of the energy-health nexus, through the implementation of this project and our broader work with partners and Sustainable Energy for All. With this project, we will continue to show how Sustainable Development Goal 7 – ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all – can facilitate progress on the other SDGs.”