Market Assessment

This paper presents results from the first randomization of a regulatory reform in the health sector. The reform established minimum quality standards for patient safety, an issue that has become increasingly salient following the Ebola and COVID-19 epidemics. In the experiment, all 1,348 health facilities in three Kenyan counties were classified into 273 markets, and the markets were then randomly allocated to treatment and control groups. Government inspectors visited health facilities and, depending on the results of their inspection, recommended closure or a timeline for improvements. The intervention increased compliance with patient safety measures in...

In 2022 sales of solar energy kits reached a record breaking 9.5 million units, almost one million more than the 8.5 million units sold in 2019 demonstrating a bounce-back from COVID. Industry leaders in particular have contributed to the growth in sales needed to achieve this. Successful programmatic support, notably result-based finance schemes, have also been a key enabling factor. Finally, new companies joining the data collection contributed to a limited extent to the jump in sales compared to the previous reporting round. TV, refrigeration unit and solar water pump sales all grew compared to the first half of the...

This report shows that 2019 was a record-breaking year for our sector. It reinforces off-grid solar as a major part of the solution to bring modern energy into off-grid households to power light and appliances in the most remote areas around the world. Over 8.5 million off-grid solar lighting products and 1.2 million off-grid solar appliances were sold in 2019 by a growing number of companies participating in this data collection...

The Republic of Kenya is regarded as the regional hub for finance and trade in East Africa. Kenya’s main port, Mombasa, is the largest seaport in East Africa that serves as a gateway to many other East and Central African nations as well, many of which are land-linked. Kenya has a population of approximately 44.86 million (2014), out of which an estimated 26 million lies in the working age group of 15–64. Kenya also has one of the largest youth populations in Africa, with almost 16 million people lying in the age group of 15–34 years. By 2050, it is...

Gendered access to water and energy is an important factor in determining outcomes and opportunities in households. This paper sought to measure gender differences in access to water and energy and examine how this affects wellbeing of women and men. To measure well-being, a multi-dimensional poverty index was computed with dimensions covering: standard of living, economic engagement, education and health. A logistic regression methodology was followed to predict the well-being of an individual based on gendered access to water and energy. Two separate models were tested for men and women. The results show that women’s well-being is disproportionately adversely affected...