The role of sense of ownership in rural community mini-grid management: qualitative case study from Tanzania
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Chronological data
Date of first publication2024-12-02
Date of publication in PubData 2025-01-21
Language of the resource
English
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Abstract
Background: The majority of mini-grids in Tanzania are managed by private entities, faith-based institutions, and the government. In contrast, a limited number of mini-grids under community management strive to survive. Although the concept of “sense of ownership” is considered crucial for mini-grid sustainability in developing countries, there is limited theoretical exploration of the factors that drive this concept and its effects on community mini-grid management. This paper assesses the relationship between the sense of ownership among electricity users and the effective management of two solar community-based mini-grids with different sustainability experience.
Results: A sense of ownership plays a role in establishing the decision-making process of mini-grids among village energy committee members toward sustainable or unsustainable management. The mechanisms behind the sense of ownership among community members toward managing mini-grids are largely expedited by the strong leadership of village energy committee members, community participation in decision-making and resource mobilisation, especially in the preparation, design and implementation phases of mini-grids.
Conclusions: A sense of ownership is found to influence the effective management of community mini-grids in Tanzania. When designing mini-grid project policies and programs that target respective communities as prospective owners, energy practitioners and policy-makers should consider creating an environment that nurtures a sense of ownership.
Keywords
Community mini-grids; Community Participation; Community Management; Sustainability; Solar; Ownership
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Notes
This publication was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).