Forward thinking for greater impact
As global challenges become increasingly interconnected, expectations of GIZ’s work are also growing. That is why we are coming up with new solutions while also building on the lessons we have learned to date. Find out what this means in practice.
The major issues of our time are closely interconnected, and their underlying causes are mutually reinforcing. It is becoming increasingly clear that development issues have a direct impact on local, regional and global security. If water becomes scarce in a region, the people there not only face a shortage of drinking water and water to irrigate their fields. Competition for the vital resource can also exacerbate existing conflicts or create new ones, the effects of which can be felt as far afield as Germany and Europe.
Climate crisis, armed conflict, migration: global challenges do not stop at the borders of villages, countries or continents. Tackling these challenges successfully requires international cooperation and the strengths of competent partner organisations. Only by understanding the interplay between crises and working together to develop comprehensive solutions built on this can we contribute to breaking the negative cycle – and achieving lasting results that benefit as many people as possible around the globe through our work.
That is why we are continuing to look for new solutions that can withstand the challenges of our rapidly changing work environment. With comprehensive approaches and international cooperation, we are committed to helping solve the complex challenges of our time.
Achieving more with comprehensive approaches
To achieve this, we maintain a clear view of the bigger picture. This is the framework in which we analyse individual countries, regions and sectors in order to plan comprehensively across all areas. We are more mindful then ever of possible interdependencies and correlations and always consider how we can identify the leverage point with the greatest potential for positively impacting as many challenges as possible: how can we simultaneously drive economic development and the energy transition, connect water supply and solar energy, or align vocational training with employment development? How can the use of digitalisation and artificial intelligence support this?
To ensure that this cross-sectoral and cross-border thinking works in reality, we are reorganising our internal structures and workflows. We are digitalising our processes, pooling internal expertise and standardising successful products. This will make us more efficient, cost-effective and impactful – and enable us to respond more quickly to the changing demands of our work.
In doing so, we never lose sight of our overarching goal, namely to effect even more wide-reaching and sustainable change together with our partners. For this, we need uncomplicated scaling opportunities and the pooling of financial resources and expertise. We also need the right partners that complement our skills and with whom we can work side by side towards shared goals. We are already successfully implementing some of these aspects in our work. And our aim is to build on this experience.
Scaling up successful instruments
The Energising Development (EnDev) programme is a good example of how far-reaching outcomes can be achieved by scaling up effective measures and pooling financial resources. As part of the programme, in 2024 we worked towards the overarching goal of advancing the global energy transition and mitigating climate change in more than 20 countries on three continents. At the same time, we are addressing energy shortages as an obstacle to development. After all, around 685 million people worldwide still live without electricity, and approximately 2.1 billion people have no access to environmentally friendly energy for cooking. EnDev builds on local conditions and potential, developing suitable measures to promote access to sustainable energy. This is how we tangibly improve the living conditions of local people, thereby creating reasons for them to stay in their home regions and reducing the causes of migration.
We are not trying to constantly reinvent the wheel in pursuit of this goal; instead, we take instruments that have proved effective in one country and apply them in other regions facing similar challenges. "EnDev has already far exceeded its original objectives," says programme manager Alexander Haack. "This success stems from a partnership-based approach, our knowledge of local conditions and needs, and continuous innovations that are scaled up across our entire portfolio in 20 countries." In EnDev, this takes the form of results-based financing (RBF), for example, where companies are given financial incentives to reach customer groups considered to be less lucrative – perhaps due to concerns about creditworthiness or a lack of sales structures in remote regions. For instance, a solar company receives financial support following the verified sale of a solar water pump to a farmer in rural Uganda. As a result, even more people benefit from climate-friendly technology. EnDev has already used the RBF approach in more than 50 projects in 17 countries.
EnDev: successful across sectors and borders
- Around 33.9 million people have access to modern solutions for energy supply.
- Almost 113,430 small and medium-sized enterprises have new or improved access to energy.
- Approximately 35,480 establishments, such as schools or health centres, have access to modern forms of energy.
- Around 33,770 jobs have been created.
To achieve these results, EnDev invested around EUR 19 for each person reached in 2024.
Energising Development (EnDev)
Commissioned by
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Netherlands, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Cofinanced by
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, European Union (EU), Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA), IKEA Foundation, Irish Aid, Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, RVO), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Location
Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia (ended in 2024), Burundi, Cambodia, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda
Term
Since 2005
EnDev also uses demand-side subsidies (DSS) as a form of results-based financing. Here, the primary focus is on low-income population groups and refugees. The aim is for these groups too to be able to afford access to energy products such as small-scale solar power systems or cooking stoves. To this end, companies receive subsidies that enable them to sell their devices at a lower price. An IT tool helps to determine who is entitled to subsidised products.
DSS approaches are currently used in Liberia, Malawi, Niger and Uganda. In all four countries, we work with the World Bank from the outset and pool knowledge on a continuous basis. The plan is to scale the concept together, wherever this is possible, and share new findings globally. "In recent years, we have gained a wealth of experience that we can use to kick-start further innovations," says Alexander Haack.
Leave no one behind: green energy for vulnerable population groups
EnDev uses innovative forms of subsidisation such as demand-side subsidies (DSS) to give vulnerable population groups, including internally displaced persons and low-income households, access to sustainable energy. Through targeted price reductions for solar and cooking technologies, we are helping to reduce energy poverty. We work closely with national and international partners to scale up successful approaches across national borders and multiply positive outcomes in further regions. The aim is to provide up to one million people with access to a modern energy supply.
The electrification rate in Niger is just 18.6 per cent. With DSS, EnDev’s goal is to enable direct access to solar energy for up to 47,500 people. Millions of others will also benefit indirectly from the scaling and further dissemination of approaches. Subsidised solar products are sold by local traders, who also perform maintenance and repairs. This allows us to not only strengthen energy supply, but also support the local economy – and in doing so improve prospects for local people in their own country.
EnDev aims to equip up to 33,000 people in economically disadvantaged regions of Liberia with home solar power systems. To achieve this, we are working with the Liberian Government and the World Bank to subsidise solar products and companies using RBF. Together, we are supporting the rollout of off-grid systems that work independently of the public power grid. This contributes to the long-term development of energy infrastructure in Liberia as well as to the global transition towards green energy.
Just seven per cent of Malawi’s population has access to off-grid solar products, with almost all households (98.8 per cent) using wood to cook. With EnDev, we promote solar products and locally produced, efficient wood-burning stoves that consume less fuel. Through demand-side subsidies, we aim to enable more than 265,000 people to benefit from clean energy for the first time. This also helps to prevent deforestation and, as a result, mitigate climate change.
Uganda has taken in more than 1.7 million refugees. Energy poverty is especially high in the country’s host communities. Through targeted subsidies, EnDev is lowering the cost of solar products and modern cooking technologies such as electric pressure cookers and ethanol stoves. A win-win solution: the aim is to improve the quality of life of a quarter of a million people, create future prospects at the local level and advance the rollout of green energy.
This kind of scalability is one of the major advantages of comprehensive approaches. It allows us to benefit from successful concepts, utilise experience, and quickly expand the effectiveness and scope of impact. This approach has also worked in Kenya and Senegal, where financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is being used in the project "Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking: Kenya and Senegal." EnDev provided advance training for producers of sustainable cooking appliances to improve their technical and entrepreneurial skills and helped them to expand their businesses. The GCF-cofinanced project builds on this work and enables the project to be scaled up and expanded on an unprecedented level: we are currently supporting growing companies by offering them tailored packages for their professional development – from tools to machines and production or storage space. This support is enabling many producers of climate-friendly cooking technologies to increase their turnover – which, in turn, contributes to nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in the energy sectors in Kenya and Senegal.
Achieving more together
Economies of scale and the pooling of financial resources are therefore key contributing factors to EnDev’s far-reaching impact. As part of the programme, we work in a multi-donor partnership with various commissioning parties and numerous cofinanciers. Such models play an important role in a comprehensive approach as they allow us to specifically harness synergy effects while, at the same time, bringing about social, economic and environmental change. Thanks to the contributions of the various funding providers, EnDev not only supports access to clean energy and thereby promotes the global energy transition, but also has a positive impact on the local economy, labour market and social cohesion in our countries of assignment. With one approach, we are therefore able to address many challenges at once – and contribute to long-term stability in different regions.
"EnDev is a very valuable knowledge partner for our energy access work at ESMAP. Our collaboration on the End-User Subsidy Lab is a good example of this. EnDev has supported our research, co-authored knowledge products, and most importantly, developed well-informed and innovative subsidy concepts that are helping guide World Bank operations in Liberia, Malawi, Niger and Uganda, among other countries."
"By supporting the EnDev programme, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is proud to help bring sustainable energy to the communities who need it most. By working together, we’re not just providing energy – we’re empowering people, improving lives, and creating lasting change. Together, we’re helping build a more inclusive and sustainable energy future."
One programme, manifold effects
The WE4D programme is another example of how we are improving the lives of local people in numerous ways while advancing the green transformation in Africa. We are training women for sustainable jobs and making it possible for them to access green employment opportunities. This is because women play a key role in sustainable development worldwide. Societies can only be stable and peaceful if everyone is able to participate equally in political, economic and social life. When women enjoy the same opportunities as men, carry more responsibility and are in gainful employment, this has a positive effect on the income, food situation and educational opportunities of families. This, in turn, enhances the quality of life at the local level – and therefore the resilience and stability of different parts of the world too. Sustainable employment, lower emissions, more peace, less migration – this impact chain also benefits Germany and Europe.
Here, too, it is clear that various issues are closely interconnected. This is why WE4D has also opted for a comprehensive approach, operating across sectors and borders and with various partners from the private sector, the research community and civil society to achieve tangible effects for as many people as possible. In nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa, we train women, support companies run by women by offering training, mentoring and financing, and develop green business models with and for women. The main focus is on sectors such as agriculture and fisheries, renewable energy, waste management and the circular economy, and ecotourism. But we also work with sectors such as transport, logistics and construction, provided they are committed to sustainability. This approach enables us to take action on climate change while also improving the prospects of local people for a future worth living in their own countries.
Employment promotion for women for the green transformation in Africa (WE4D)
Commissioned by
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Cofinanced by
European Union, Norway
Location
Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda
Term
2023 to 2027
To help them compete more successfully on the market, women entrepreneurs in Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda are being offered support from the Team Europe initiative Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA WE4A), which is cofinanced by the EU and implemented by WE4D. They take part in training courses on better business management with a focus on green and sustainable business ideas, receive access to funding and expand their networks. Some 2,000 women entrepreneurs have benefited from this initiative so far. Women’s empowerment, economic development and the green transformation go hand in hand in this context.
Together with local partner Acacia EPZ Limited and cofinanced by Norway, WE4D is supporting the development of the gum arabic supply chain in semi-arid regions of Kenya. Women and young women agricultural workers take part in training on entrepreneurship and on the sustainable harvesting and processing of gum arabic. As part of the project, they receive the equipment they need for the physically demanding harvesting process and learn how to turn waste into briquettes. They are also supported in developing local business models for the aggregation and marketing of gum arabic and other products, or for tree nurseries for acacia reforestation, for instance. The project aims to enable 2,400 people to find employment in sustainable jobs and to improve the employment situation of 5,500 people. In this way, we are working to improve the prospects of women in Kenya for a future worth living.
"Taking part in the Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A) initiative helped me to grow and advance my sustainable company Libe Green Innovation."
Libe Green Innovation upcycles plastic waste, for example by turning it into handmade products; it also cleans and sorts plastic pieces in preparation for subsequent steps in the recycling process.
"I used to have to carry heavy sacks of coal over long distances to earn a living. Now I earn a secure income by harvesting gum arabic. I can feed my family, pay for their medical care and send my children to school – all without having to work far from home."
Through the predecessor project Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D), 80,000 people have already found decent work. Building on this, WE4D aims to help more than 18,000 more people find work in a sustainable company and to improve the employment situation of more than 70,000 people. Just like EnDev, WE4D is financed by a multi-donor partnership consisting of Germany, Norway and the EU. Here, too, the pooling of financial resources can help to scale up successful measures and thereby reach significantly more people.
3 questions for Paz Velasco Velazquez
"With its focus on results, sustainability, and local ownership, GIZ contributes effectively to the EU’s external action objectives."
Why is the EU a partner of GIZ?
Working with GIZ reflects the Team Europe approach, combining the strengths, expertise, and resources of EU institutions, Member States, and implementing partners to maximise collective impact.
The EU partners with GIZ to implement programmes that deliver high-quality, measurable outcomes aligned with EU priorities. GIZ brings decades of experience in managing large-scale development initiatives and has built trust through transparent, efficient, and impact-driven cooperation. This collaboration also supports broader objectives of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, particularly in promoting sustainable development and inclusive growth.
GIZ’s ability to connect policy dialogue with implementation and to foster partnerships across sectors and stakeholders makes it a strong ally in advancing shared goals such as climate action, gender equality, and economic development.
What value does the EU see in GIZ?
The EU sees value in GIZ as a reliable and capable implementing partner with broad technical expertise and a strong presence in partner countries. GIZ’s ability to operationalise complex policy goals and turn them into concrete, context-specific actions makes it a valuable partner in EU development cooperation. With its focus on results, sustainability, and local ownership, GIZ contributes effectively to the EU’s external action objectives.
What value does the EU see in the WE4D programme?
WE4D addresses key challenges at the intersection of gender inequality and the green transformation by enabling women to access economic and employment opportunities. The programme offers practical solutions that contribute to economic resilience, climate goals, and inclusive development. Its focus on employment effects for women makes it a relevant and timely initiative. For the EU, WE4D represents a strategic cooperation partner to support systemic gender-responsive change, aligned with the ambitions of the Global Gateway strategy and the EU’s Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Relations (GAP III).
Keeping an eye on the bigger picture
EnDev and WE4D: two programmes tackling various interconnected global challenges, pooling expertise and financial resources, and scaling up effective instruments. This is how they achieve wide-reaching outcomes – and make a lasting impact that benefits all stakeholders. Both programmes highlight the advantages of focusing on the big picture from the outset: what works in one country, can be applied in another region facing similar challenges. Financing from one funding provider can be effectively supplemented by another’s contribution. Where there are connections between sectors, areas of overlap can be formed.
Like in a puzzle, the individual projects and activities come together to form a big picture. This makes it easier to manage complex challenges more effectively – and, above all, to achieve a greater impact overall. Since it clearly works, our plan is to pursue such comprehensive approaches in an even more targeted way in future.
