Ethiopia
Ethiopia has vast renewable energy potential, yet only 55% of the population has electricity access, limiting economic growth and social development. Rural communities also lack clean cooking technologies—over 90% rely on unsustainable charcoal or firewood, leading to deforestation, soil erosion, and indoor air pollution.
Technologies used in this project
- Improved cookstoves
- Solar mini-grids
- Stand-alone systems
Country data
- Access to modern cooking energy: 1,779,713*
- People with access to electricity: 1,168,597*
- SIs with access to modern energy services: 4,126*
- MSMEs with access to modern energy services: 10,061*
- *Achievements until December 2024
Approach
EnDev is a well-established programme in Ethiopia, having received co-funding from Ireland, the Korean Foundation for International Healthcare, RVO, and the European Union. EnDev Ethiopia’s interventions cover four key areas:
• energy-efficient and improved cookstoves,
• higher-tier cookstoves (including eCooking),
• stand-alone solar home systems, and
• community-led off-grid electricity through photovoltaic mini-grids and nano-grids.
The programme provides technical and business support to clean cookstove manufacturers and solar retailers while fostering market growth for productive use of energy. Additionally, EnDev collaborates with government utilities to accelerate rural electrification and facilitates solar system installations in social institutions like schools and health centres, broadening access to sustainable energy.
Learn more about EnDev´s approach
Impact
In partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE), EnDev Ethiopia has electrified off-grid rural health institutions in the regions of
Amhara, Oromia, Afar, and Benishangul. Through the associated project Energising Health and the electrification of social institutions under its core-activities, EnDev Ethiopia has
installed solar direct-drive vaccine fridges and photovoltaic systems, improving healthcare services and expanding electricity access. Moreover, EnDev provided various incentives and capacity-building for the private sector to further promote the market for decentralised renewable energy technologies.
The programme has prioritised vulnerable communities, ensuring access to modern energy—from small solar-powered systems to mini-grids. EnDev Ethiopia has commissioned three community-led mini-grids in off-grid areas of Oromia,
delivering reliable electricity to households, social institutions, and businesses, fostering economic growth by enabling local enterprises to thrive.
EnDev Ethiopia’s clean cooking component has focused on strategic partnerships to reach marginalised groups, including LNOB communities, women and girls, refugees, internally displaced populations, and beneficiaries of the government’s social protection programme (Productive Safety Net Programme, PSNP). Market development in Afar and Somali has strengthened clean cooking supply chains using gender-transformative approaches. Additionally, scaling efforts for institutional stoves have introduced clean, efficient cooking technologies in school feeding centres in refugee camps in Gambela. EnDev Ethiopia has also advanced higher-tier cooking solutions, particularly eCooking, by advocating for its inclusion in national roadmaps.
Sustainable energy for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda
New technologies, higher productivity, and more stable incomes: “Sustainable Energy for Smallholder Farmers” (SEFFA), which ran from 2021 to 2024 in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, demonstrated how sustainable energy solutions can profoundly change the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. More than 5,400 smallholder farmers are now reaping the benefits of solar energy systems. They are increasing farm productivity, securing their harvests, boosting their incomes, and making a valuable contribution to climate protection.
Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Clean Cooking (SEE-CC)
In close partnership with EnDev, the SEE-CC programme introduces a new private-sector approach to promote clean and affordable cooking in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger and Uganda.
Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Clean Cooking (SEE-CC)
