Tanzania Energy Sector Impact Evaluation and Implementation Services

This Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)-Tanzania program, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), aims to improve living standards and reduce poverty in Tanzania by investing $207 million to improve energy-related infrastructure. These interventions include two activities. The Zanzibar Cable Activity involved laying a new submarine cable to provide a more reliable source of electricity to Unguja Island. The Transmission and Distribution Systems Rehabilitation and Extension (T&D) Activity involves both rehabilitation of existing distribution networks as well as extending lines into new areas. Mathematica designed an impact analysis of the cable and T&D activities. Mathematica is investigating whether these activities led to improved health, economic, and educational outcomes at the household and community levels as well as better financial outcomes at the enterprise level.

Mathematica, in collaboration with DHInfrastructure, MCC, and MCA-Tanzania staff as well as other key stakeholders in Tanzania, designed plans for rigorous evaluations of the energy sector activities. For the T&D evaluation, we will use a difference-in-differences design. For the financing scheme evaluation, we will use a cluster random assignment design (with communities as the unit of assignment). For the Zanzibar interconnector evaluation, we will use a pre-post design to assess the effect of the new cable on use, reliability, and quality of electricity in Zanzibar’s Unguja Island, as well as the effect of the cable on energy-related costs and revenue in the hotel industry, a key sector in Zanzibar’s economy.

The primary source of data for the T&D and financing scheme evaluations was a baseline and follow-up surveys at the community, household, and enterprise levels. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a U.S.-based firm, conducted the baseline surveys. The data for the Zanzibar evaluation was drawn from administrative records from the Zanzibar Electricity Company and from surveys of 30 hotels.

Key project tasks included overseeing data collection activities (for community, household, and enterprise surveys) at baseline and follow-up, conducting propensity score matching for the evaluation of the T&D activity using baseline community survey data, reporting findings from analysis of the baseline survey data, supporting implementation of the financing scheme initiative, collecting qualitative data on implementation of project activities, and analyzing impacts using administrative and survey data. Major project deliverables included a baseline report, an interim report, and a final report.

Publications

"Evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Electricity-Transmission and Distribution Line-Extension Activity in Tanzania: Baseline Report" (November 2012)
"Electricity in Zanzibar's Unguja Island: Initial Evaluation Findings, Issue Brief" (March 2011)
"Tanzania Energy Sector Impact Evaluation: Findings from the Zanzibar Baseline Study" (March 2011)
"Evaluation of Tanzania Energy Sector Project: Updated Design Report" (March 2011)

Funder:

Project Time Frame:

Topic Areas:

Service Areas:

Publications

Tanzania Energy Sector Impact Evaluation and Implementation Services

Publications