Guinea - Electricity Access Scale Up Project

Overview & Synopsis

Ratings of the Guinea Electricity Access Scale Up Project for Guinea were as follows: outcome was moderately satisfactory; Bank performance was moderately satisfactory; M&E quality was substantial. Lessons learned indicate that sustained engagement with the Borrower, coupled with resilience and adaptability, is critical to maintain momentum and deliver results in a fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) context. Partnerships among donors can generate scale economies and enhance efficiency when roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms are clearly defined and preserved throughout implementation; weak coordination and unclear delineation at appraisal created delays and supervision gaps after closure. The supply and installation of meters promote efficiency, financial sustainability, and equity by eliminating irregular connections, improving billing accuracy, and strengthening revenue collection; resistance to change was limited and metering supported more rational energy use. Developing viable public private partnerships (PPP) for hybrid mini grids in rural areas requires in-depth feasibility studies, a clear regulatory framework, and strong institutional arrangements prior to implementation; limited preparatory work, untested institutions, and an unprepared private sector led to delays and constrained progress. Targeted gender-sensitive training enhances institutional capacity and enables durable behavioral change, broadening women’s participation, leadership, and entry into technical fields and professional networks. Integrating meter procurement and installation under a single responsibility framework alongside rehabilitation, expansion, and new customer connections improves efficiency and timeliness; fragmented arrangements introduce coordination challenges that can delay deployment and underscore the need to synchronize procurement with installation and strengthen safeguards. Recommendations include providing realistic contingencies at appraisal for transmission and distribution investments exposed to equipment and transport price volatility; establishing robust, upfront cofinancing agreements that align implementation responsibilities, disbursement modalities, and supervision mandates with shared timelines and clear escalation mechanisms; treating metering as a core infrastructure investment implemented in parallel with network expansion and new connections under a programmatic approach that meters all new connections from the outset to enhance billing efficiency and reduce losses; making any revisions to the results framework early in implementation to enable timely course correction; and adopting integrated contracting approaches that align meter procurement with network works under unified oversight, synchronize procurement and installation schedules, and ensure secure storage, inventory management, risk mitigation, and contingency planning.