Economics & Development

Ratings of the GEF Electricity Access and Renewable Energy Expansion Project for Solomon Islands were as follows: Outcome was moderately unsatisfactory, Bank performance was moderately satisfactory, and monitoring and evaluation quality was substantial. Lessons and recommendations include the following: land readiness and upstream preparation are critical in remote, high-cost contexts, so land acquisition and site identification should be substantially advanced before effectiveness—ideally as a disbursement condition—with strong government leadership to streamline processes; future designs should include higher contingencies, stronger procurement design and contractor prequalification, and explicit allowances for logistics and market constraints, with land tenure security and contract management arrangements for dispersed sites fully established at entry to avoid downstream delays. Strong implementation capacity and appropriately structured project management are essential; for complex, multi-component operations, a dedicated or hybrid Project Implementation Unit (PIU) with embedded contract management, procurement, and technical specialists should be in place from the outset, complemented by sustained capacity building and hands-on support to improve oversight and reduce bottlenecks. Concessional and grant financing must be aligned with execution and contract management capacity, with clear accountability and timely administrative follow-through; future operations should match grant design to institutional capacity, strengthen contract management arrangements, and use clearly defined disbursement triggers to avoid underutilization. Well-targeted subsidies can effectively expand access but require careful calibration for sustainability and scale; the output-based aid (OBA) approach proved effective in reaching low-income households, and should be integrated within broader electrification strategies, supported by reliable supply chains and sustained financing, and aligned with utility financial sustainability to maintain momentum and enable replication.