Forward thinking
for greater impact

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.

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.

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.

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 a project to promote climate-friendly cooking technology. 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.

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.