Off-Grid Rural Electrification in Mozambique : Political Economy Encounters of the Solar Home System Developments

Decentralized off-grid solutions such as Solar Home Systems (SHSs) have emerged as practical alternatives (short to mid-term) to address energy poverty, especially in developing countries. Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania managed relative success in expanding Rural Electrification (RE) through significant financial and fiscal incentives for SHSs. Despite the low electricity access rate (less than 40%), Mozambique seems skeptical about following the model. Several academic works have relied mainly on economic, socio-economic, and institutional factors to explain the country’s low electricity access rate. While addressing the state’s role in developing the SHS segment, this paper explores possible links between the state’s apparent skeptical stance towards SHSs and the potential state’s electricity-centered clientelist interests. This paper suggests that decentralized and liberal electricity solutions like the SHS may upset state electricity-centered clientelist interests. An interpretative analysis of 30 in-depth interviews with key informants suggests that the state has prioritized expanding electricity access mainly through the public energy utilities. Furthermore, the interviews revealed possible clientelist interests that may be linked to the state’s adverse stance on fiscal incentives to SHSs, although a comprehensive understanding of the extent and mechanisms of the possible linkages requires further empirical investigation.