This working paper is based on research co-financed by EEG in Sierra Leone and led by the Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

The research compares 54 communities that received solar PV powered mini grids under a FCDO / UNOPS programme with 54 similar communities without mini-grids.  The aim was to assess the economic impact of the provision of electricity in these circumstances. With the onset of the COVID pandemic the research  also looked at whether access to electricity improved communities’ resilience against the wider impacts of the virus.

This is an interim report. Given the mini grids were only operationalised in 2020 research on the possible economic impacts resulting from access to them is expected to continue through 2022.