Edward Phillips

Currently providing consultancy support to Imani Development. Previous consultancy work in Malawi and Mozambique, include:

• Assessment of Productive Uses of Energy in Malawi
• Feasibility Study for the German FC project “Green People’s Energy for Africa: Mozambique”
• An organisational assessment of United Purposes PUE programmes

• The OGMDF or Ngwee Ngwee Ngwee Fund (NNNF) is the off-grid component of the Malawi Electricity Access Project (MEAP)
• The fund is supporting the expansion of SHS by providing consumer subsidies ($6m) and working capital finance ($14m) for 200,000 HHs to achieve tier-1 access
• Further Technical Assistance is being provided to the Ministry of Energy to ensure continuity of the Fund as well as to the private sector which has included making the business case for gender and social inclusion
• By the end of MEAP, ~500,000 off-grid HHs are expected to be using SHS as main source of power (9% of Malawi’s population)
• The structure of the working capital facility under NNNF (i.e USD disbursements, MWK repayments) was considered “massively innovative” and project-enabling for companies participating

Activities included:

• Providing technical expertise on the off-grid solar market in Sub Saharan Africa, and particularly PAYG solar in Malawi
• Overseeing the design and management of RBF and debt financing facilities aimed at market stimulation
• Managing reporting relationships with government stakeholders, large development finance organizations and private sector companies
• Overseeing the evaluation of applicants and the design and management of monitoring and evaluation processes
• Organising and facilitating a Gender and Female Leadership workshop for private sector solar companies

• ACE TAF was a 4-year programme covering 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa
• Catalysed a market-based approach for private-sector delivery of renewable energy electrification technologies with a focus on high quality stand-alone solar systems

Key activities included:

• Fiscal Incentives: Supporting the Government of Malawi (GoM) to develop an importation guide and provide training for customs agents to ensure consistency in the application of fiscal incentives, and to ensure they are linked with quality standards
• Quality Standards: In collaboration with IFC/Clasp, assessing the existing regulatory framework and current levels of compliance of solar products to Lighting Global Standards, advocating the adoption of IEC test methods and implementation of standards for pico solar and SHS Plug and Play (PnP) kits
• Sector Coordination: Strengthened sector coordination to deliver an action plan to monitor progress and reach targets identified by GoM
• Industry Representation: Conducted a ‘health check’ of the industry association REIAMA to identify where support from ACE TAF can provide the most value to build the capacity of the association

• Led on the development strategy of Renewable Energy Projects in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique with the intention of building a solid pipeline, strong team and clear strategy for the business long term

Institutional Relations:

• Managed relations with current and potential donors
• Represented PAC by engaging with institutions, NGOs, local and international organizations and partners

Business Development:

• Developed relationships with UN agencies, bilateral donors, local and international NGO partners, government and foundations
• Coordinated the writing and preparation of proposal and fundraising documents
• Identified funding opportunities for PAC’s development and renewable energy work

Strategy and planning:

• Verified and proposed to the southern Africa and UK Office the intervention priorities to consolidate PAC’s position in the region
• Contributed to the definition of the Country Strategy and proposed the country planning (projects and coordination)

Project management:

• Coordinated and directly monitored projects, guaranteeing the correct implementation in conformity with the contractual obligations and donors’ procedures, and in line with PAC’s procedures and management standards
• Responsible for the preparation of projects reports and all the monitoring documents requested by headquarters

Staff management:

• Responsible for staff management, including coordination and monitoring of the energy consulting team
• Participated and supported in the selection of staff

• Reported to the Head of Energy, working to deliver Practical Action’s energy strategy around clean cooking, energy for agriculture and energy-powering adaptation
• Acted as Practical Action’s subject matter expert for Energy programmes
• Led and contributed to business development, including preparing proposals, winning work, and programme/contract management
• Built and maintained strong relationships and networks in the energy sector
• Supported the coordination and promotion of Practical Action’s energy strategy across regional offices and through internal forums

• Linked with a local organisation, Kwaedza Simucai Manica securing EUR 61k to implement Chitunga micro hydro project, providing a renewable energy supply to an estimated 300 households in rural Mozambique
• Trained 20 existing micro hydro operators on the operation, maintenance, and basic technical characteristics of a micro hydro scheme
• Supported GIZ in the tender and supervision processes for improving the civil works of 14 micro hydro sites
• Assessed the feasibility of further sites that may have a lasting impact on rural livelihoods

• Conducted feasibility studies including social, hydrology and site surveys
• Designed and managed the implementation of a micro hydro system that served a community of 50 households
• Provided advice on a further 14 sites
• Enhanced how KSM manages its programme of activities, focusing on improving communication, documentation, planning and design

• Working for the reducing vulnerability team, responsible for reviewing programmes in Africa, Asia and Latin America to help guide organisational strategy in the coming financial year
• Evaluated Practical Actions Rural Extension work across its international programme offices
• Co-authored a published paper on community-based extension services
• Edited case studies on Disaster Risk Reduction for publication

• Volunteering as a water engineer within the remote Ixil communities of the Guatemalan highlands
• My work involved; Liaising with a village water committee and after a suitable water source had been identified, managing a team on a topographic survey
• Designed a gravity fed water system for 100 households, using hydraulic modelling software (EPNET)
• Took water samples in the surrounding villages to test the water quality
• Produced easy to follow online presentations for practitioners in the field on how to build distribution tanks, hand washing stations and spring boxes

• The England and Wales Environment agency funded Cranfield University to estimate the economic cost that the 2007 summer flooding had on rural communities
• Utilised interpersonal skills to conduct in depth interviews with severely affected farmers, households and businesses
• Analysed data from qualitative interviews and synthesised findings in relation to flood impact on agricultural practices
• The published research influenced DEFRA flood prevention resource allocation

• Managed a team conducting a participatory rural appraisal
• Developed best practice guidelines on community-based wetland management in Africa

• Assisted in developing a Central Asia Action Agenda, strengthening partnerships between civil society, governments and the UN in conflict prevention
• Wrote reports on community tensions in the south particularly since the revolution and advocated for disenfranchised communities in the south to participate in developing a new Kyrgyz constitution
• Contributed to an English language newspaper (Central Asian Times) and edited articles written by Russian speaking journalists