A renewable energy program in Bangladesh that brings solar power to rural households is one of the most successful solar home system (SHS) programs in the world. It has demonstrated an inexpensive and reliable way to bring electricity to rural households. Several output-based aid (OBA) features...

Governments in developing countries and members of the development aid community are acutely aware of the need to find more effective ways to improve basic living conditions for the poor. Traditional approaches to delivering public support have not always led to the results intended....

Sub-Saharan Africa receives only a small share of private investment in infrastructure. One reason for this is its difficulties in getting project finance - difficulties that stem from the low creditworthiness of most African countries, the limits of local financial markets, and the risk...

Worldwide, nearly 1.4 billion people live without access to electricity and nearly 2.7 billion people use traditional biomass fuels for cooking. One challenge to increasing reliable energy access for the poor is their limited ability to pay the up-front connection fees for electricity and...

Output-Based Aid (OBA) has been used since the early 2000s to deliver basic infrastructure and social services to the poor, typically through public-private partnerships. Given the limited experience with OBA in the water and sanitation sector, Global Partnership OBA has made a concerted effort...

Output-based aid (OBA), or performance-based grants, can be used to help target services to the poor. Under OBA schemes, service providers are compensated only after delivery of a specified output, such as water connections of a specified quality, to a targeted beneficiary. In most cases that...

The government of Senegal has made rural electrification a priority, recognizing its importance in reducing poverty and redressing development imbalances. A new program that combines output-based aid (OBA) subsidies with technology neutral competitive bidding is seen as more promising. This...