Sustainability Impact Accelerator
Enabling sustainable and bankable infrastructure projects by providing project-specific training
The Sustainability Impact Accelerator (SIA) provides targeted capacity development to partners in OECD/DAC countries in support of the implementation of sustainable projects that contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
The programme is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented in collaboration with Swedish embassies, the Swedish Export Credit Agency (EKN), Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK), Business Sweden and Swedfund. This collaboration grants SIA with access to a vast network of Swedish expertise.
Why is SIA important?
Infrastructure is one of the keys to the success of the SDGs. Population growth, migration and urbanisation trends all demand an increase in critical infrastructure, especially in low- and middle income countries. Securing the infrastructure needed to achieve the SDGs will require public and private sectors to work together at scale to finance and implement projects in the transport, energy, water, health, agriculture and IT sectors.
The challenge of financing infrastructure for the SDGs is not just about mobilising money. The success of the implementation and management of large-scale projects is also related to systemic issues and runs deeper then closing the financial gap. Through the Sustainability Impact Accelerator, we partner with project owners to build their capacity through project- specific training to minimise risks and support maximising the positive sustainability impact of an investment.
Partnerships we can accelerate the realisation of sustainable and bankable projects, enabling the green transition and sustainable and inclusive economic development.
Through the accelerator, we partner with project owners to build their capacity through project specific training to minimise risks and support maximising the positive sustainability impact of an investment.
Routes to impact.
Broadening the resource base of projects
Going beyond the financial gap means promoting effective governance. Restructuring how public and private actors interact and partner is often needed to promote effective governance to achieve results in the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. The Sustainability Impact Accelerator adds this to the Team Sweden toolbox. The collaboration within Team Sweden serves a key function in effectively identifying infrastructure projects where the project owner is committed to development but experiences a capacity gap in terms of sustainability.
Involving new resources to projects
Energy-related infrastructure and an expansion of the electricity grid is necessary to provide energy access to urban and rural areas. Transportation infrastructure – roads, railway, ports and airports are key for economic development by improving people’s mobility from home to work and connecting rural areas to domestic and regional markets. Sustainable water infrastructure improves people’s lives by providing access to water and managing scarce resources.
The reasons why critical infrastructure is vital for sustainable and inclusive economic development go on. Swedish service and technology providers are frontrunners in the green transition across multiple key infrastructure sectors. Involving Sweden’s resource base in support of critical infrastructure means investing in cleaner, greener and more connected infrastructure that underpins the SDGs and promotes a more sustainable and inclusive economic development.
Identify root causes and to go beyond training
A important part of SIA is our focus on the alignment of project stakeholders, i.e. project owners/partners, financiers and regulating agencies – to proactively identify and resolve gaps that could pose sustainability risks to the project and to support keeping project timelines on track. Thereby we accelerate the realisation of projects as more sustainable and bankable , enabling the green transition and sustainable and inclusive economic development.
Adapting to the project cycle of infrastructure projects
The development of infrastructure projects requires planning and capacity during the pre-investment and implementation phases to address financial, legal, technical and sustainability challenges related to a project. As SIA is flexible and adaptable is can be activated at any point in the project-cycle and reduce the risks throughout the project cycle
Current projects in SIA
Country
Mozambique
Partner
Electricidade de Moçambique E.P. (EDM)
Sector
Energy
Status
Active
Progress
Description
Support of the development and implementation of an integrated Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) at the corporate level. An ESMS is a systematic procedure to manage environmental and social impacts, assuring that negative impacts are avoided or minimised to the extent possible while also promoting positive impacts. Our support to EDM’s Environmental, Social and Health Team is in line with international standards – IFC Performance Standards and ISO – which means that EDM is proactively preparing to comply with the sustainability standards of international financiers and stakeholders
Updates
Project:
Environmental and Social Management System support to the energy sector.
Country
Tanzania
Partner
Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC)
Sector
Public Transportation
Status
Active
Progress
Progress
Together with Team Sweden, we have been supporting the sustainable railway investment in Tanzania by partnering with Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC), Tanzania’s state-owned railway company. Significant environmental and social impacts are inherent to large railway projects. If those impacts are not managed properly, they can result in sustainability risks that prevent or delay financing and complicate implementation. To support minimising such risks, we have worked with TRC’s Environmental and Social Team since 2021, building the Team’s capacity to comply with international environmental and social standards. During 2023, we supported TRC with resource assessment, planning and acquisition to support its capacity to meet the legal and international environmental and social standards required by project lenders
Project:
Environmental and Social Management System support in the railway sector.
Country
Côte d’Ivoire
Partners
Minstries, Team Sweden , Scania
Sector
Public Transportation
Status
Active
Progress
Progress
Team Sweden and Scania are working to develop a sustainable public transport system in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, by introducing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with buses fueled by Ivorian and sustainably produced biofuels. A BRT in Abidjan that runs on biofuels has the dual aim of increasing access to public transport across the metropolitan area and achieving Côte d’Ivoire’s climate goals by decreasing emissions from the transport sector. Côte d’Ivoire, however, does not yet have
a regulatory environment favourable to biofuels. Ensuring that a favourable regulatory environment is in place is complex as it requires mobilising and aligning a multitude of stakeholders from ministries and administrative bodies. As part of Team Sweden, our support includes stakeholder alignment to further develop the regulatory framework needed. During 2023, we also provided training for Ivorian ministries and administrative bodies on bioenergy in line with international sustainability and industry standards, using lessons learned from both Sweden and other countries’ biofuel journeys.
Voices
Project:
Stakeholder alignment for biofuels sector.
Country
Ukraine
Partners
Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs
Sector
Communication
Status
Active
Progress
Progress
We are partneringwith Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs – the ministry responsible for 112 across the country – to support Ukraine’s organisational readiness to implement and operate 112 in line with EU standards, which is also a requirement for EU accession. Building and operating a sustainable 112 agency means aligning and coordinating actors from across several ministries, agencies and units. Our support utilises the Swedish resource base. as Sweden is a leader in 112 operations and is an optimal partner for sharing good practices on how to organise a 112 agency to ensure efficient coordination.
A critical feature of civil resilience is an effective and sustainable single national emergency response system – which is even more vital during wartime – to reduce severe injuries and deaths by shortening the response time from alarm to operation. During autumn 2022, Ukraine adopted legislation to implement an improved system of emergency response for the Ukrainian people via a single emergency response number – 112.
Voices
Project:
Organisational readiness for 112. Support to the national emergency response system.
Country
Iraq
Partners
-
Sector
Energy
Status
Paused
Progress
Progress
Iraq is undertaking vast national efforts to accelerate plans to becoming more energy secure and advancing climate change goals. For international financiers and the energy industry, Iraq presents vast opportunities. Yet, extensive reforms of the energy sector will be needed to advance Iraq’s goals and secure investments. Reforming the energy sector also means building capacity on environmental and social standards required by international lenders. As an initial phase of support, we conducted an early capacity gap analysis of the Iraqi ministries and other relevant stakeholders working with energy reform. The analysis identified where capacity development is needed to comply with international lenders’ environmental and social standards. The geopolitical landscape has posed challenges and currently the project is pasued as we elaborate new options to continue the project.
Project:
Project preparation for the Energy Sector
It’s all about closing the age-old capacity gap. The Sustainability Impact Accelerator supports the organisational capacity of clients. Designed to be agile, the Accelerator provides tailored support to clients through project planning, development and implementation. With a focus on material sustainability issues, the Accelerator works to catalyse financing and maximise project effectiveness.”
Increasing the potential to produce clean energy
This is one of the projects of the Sustainability Impact Accelerator. The accelerator develops sustainability of projects to align with the 2030 Agenda in OECD/DAC countries.
The SIA project pipeline consists of 83 projects across a number of different countries.
Scouting projects
As the Sustainability Impact Accelerator grows, so does the inflow of potential projects. A broad project funnel allows for data collect on that reflects which investment is in which phase of the project cycle – indentifying trends in investment plans. Our project pipeline shows that 70% of projects are in Sub-Saharan Africa, primarily in the energy and transport (railway) sectors. The data generated can be used beyond the Sustainability Impact Accelerator to indicate, for example, the demand and need for traditional International Training Programmes (ITP) and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to prepare the labour market for the shift towards servicing increasingly green technology.
Selection Criteria in SIA pipline projects
•Industry active interest
•Delivery towards 2030 Agenda (SDGs)
•Delivery towards NDCs according to the Paris Agreement
•Team Sweden joint impact
•Risk of adverse impact on people and environment
Would you like to propose a project?
Get in contact with the programme specialists in the accelerator
