ESWATINI

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Country Snapshot

In Eswatini, the reliability of electricity is a concern despite a regionally high national electrification rate (85 percent, compared to 40 percent across Africa). This is because of frequent grid outages and heavy reliance on imported power from ESKOM through the Southern African Power Pool. Solar energy solutions, coupled with battery backups and remote monitoring, can boost energy reliability for the health sector, while supporting the country’s broader goals for the transition to renewables. HETA has been active in Eswatini since February 2023, building on the successes of our partner, The Luke Commission, and their innovations in health electrification and remote monitoring of energy systems. We look forward to announcing several other exciting partnerships as we move into our second year.

USAID Mission Funding

We received $400,000 from USAID Southern Africa (Global Health Security and Diplomacy budgets).

Facilities & People Reached

We identified 32 health facilities to be electrified in our second year. Data on catchment areas will be available in Year 2.

Local Partners & Leverage Resources

We formalized an agreement with The Luke Commission and mobilized $286,000 in leverage commitments.

Remote Monitoring for Context-Appropriate Energy Solutions

Eswatini has a robust grid network, but power outages and fluctuations affect health service delivery and can damage medical equipment. HETA has partnered with The Luke Commission, the Ministry of Health, and USAID to identify sites for containerized smart hubs. The hubs include rooftop solar panels that produce 30 to 40 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per day, along with 20 kWh batteries to support critical loads. When primary power goes out, these solar energy systems activate to power critical equipment at the health facility.

HETA also co-created an intervention with The Luke Commission to install 25 electricity usage data loggers in a sample of health facilities. The loggers provide valuable information about load profiles and downtime—a robust picture of the needs and performance of renewable energy systems that enables HETA and the Ministry of Health to analyze the reliability and sufficiency of energy for equipment relevant to the HIV response.

RESULTS

As of September 30, 2023, HETA, The Luke Commission, the Ministry of Health, and USAID had identified priority sites for the smart hubs in two regions of Eswatini. HETA is also finalizing agreements with other partners, including UNICEF, to support solar PV with battery storage and innovative O&M solutions for 32 additional facilities in Year 2.

Partner Spotlight

The Luke Commission (TLC) is a faith-based non-profit organization providing compassionate, comprehensive healthcare to the most vulnerable populations and innovating for the health and development of Eswatini.

HETA has partnered with TLC in Eswatini to understand energy consumption through wifi-enabled energy monitoring solutions in 25 health facilities and to improve energy access at five health facilities, including battery management and solar plus battery backup solutions.

TLC was the first local implementing partner with USAID in Eswatini. TLC addresses HIV, TB, cervical cancer, and other diseases, such as COVID-19, in the context of meeting patients’ comprehensive healthcare needs. TLC uses a patient-centered approach to reach and serve rural and other vulnerable populations with dignity and respect.

In 2013, TLC began building The Miracle Campus on 160 acres of land in the center of Eswatini. To date, TLC has hosted more than 1.3 million patient visits, providing more than 7 million medical services.

TLC’s on-site oxygen production plant is a massive consumer of power. TLC has worked diligently to quantify energy needs by configuring and monitoring energy monitors. TLC is also a leader in green energy production, with an active 400 kW solar array.

This report and the experiences it documents were made possible through the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was produced by Abt Global for the Power Africa Health Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance (USAID Cooperative Agreement 72067422CA00003).