Energy across the world: The Socioeconomic Implications of Energy Poverty for Sub-Saharan Africa

By: Seppi Saatchi and Shadi Madani, October 29th 2023

Edited by: Seppi Saatchi

The major drivers of energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) differ across the landscape. However, some drivers remain consistent and applicable to a wide range of local contexts within the region. In SSA, energy poverty is largely attributed to limited energy supply and poor energy infrastructure which in turn keeps energy inaccessible and costly where it can be accessed (Gafa & Egbendéwé, 2021). The existing transmission and distribution networks are also aging which exacerbates issues of reliability (Monyei et al., 2022). Growing energy demand due to rapid population growth further presents a challenge to SSA as a whole (Gafa & Egbendéwé, 2021). This is concerning as SSA is already constrained by their limited electricity generation capacity relative to their population (Monyei et al., 2022). Additionally, the disproportionate negative effects of climate change in SSA—which has provoked an increasing frequency of extreme weather events—is a major contributor to regional energy infrastructure instability (Key Findings – Africa Energy Outlook 2022, 2023). From a policy standpoint, the variation in national priorities and disparities in spending power of different countries makes it difficult for countries within the region to agree on tangible benchmarks or minimum standards for electricity access which further hinders the ability to develop cooperative initiatives to address energy poverty (Monyei et al., 2022). In addition, individual countries within the region often exhibit suboptimal management of energy infrastructure, a lack of price on energy related regulations, and a lack of governance over the electric power sector (Monyei et al., 2022). In terms of specific household drivers, Gafa & Egbendéwé (2021) found that energy poverty is driven by low income, the gender of the household head, household size and composition, and distance from collectible fuels.

Energy poverty in SSA is a complex issue shaped by various socioeconomic factors in which understanding the nuances of is essential for developing effective intervention strategies. Approaches to analyzing the socioeconomic factors and implications of energy poverty in SSA are often seen through a homogenous lens which diminishes the contexts of local diversity and dynamism. Therefore, it is important to look at the multi-dimensionality of this issue which considers both socio-economic and technological challenges as one. A case study conducted by Gafa & Egbendéwé (2021) utilized Senegal and Togo as areas of interest in understanding energy poverty in West Africa as they believe these countries are representative of the region’s diversity due to their variance in global income status, climate conditions, and abundance/sources of fuelwood. As Gafa & Egbendéwé (2021) states, households in these two countries face unique challenges and opportunities from each other in terms of energy use. In terms of health impacts, the abundance of fuelwood in Togo often leads to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases whereas the use of animal waste as cooking fuel, which is more common in Senegal, exposes households to zoonotic diseases (Gafa & Egbendéwé, 2021). This is especially prevalent for rural and remote households that lack centralized grid access as their primary energy options are often those that burn organic material such as wood, dung, or charcoal such as biomass fuel for cooking, heating and lighting. All of these energy options are linked with high levels of indoor air polluting emissions which are associated with an increase in the incidence of a plethora of respiratory related health impacts that run the risk of mortality in all age groups including tuberculosis, pneumonia, and cataracts.

By acknowledging the significant impact in which energy has on human welfare—including access to water, health care, education, and job creation—a lack of access to energy creates the risks of exasperating these challenges. This is especially true of SSA’s social landscape as more rigid gender roles exist in which women are often expected to perform certain caregiving and household duties almost exclusively, while work outside of the home is often discouraged altogether. These dynamics tie into energy poverty as women and children often spend longer periods of time inhaling indoor air pollutants due to their increased responsibilities within the household. This poses a significant risk to women living in energy poverty as the World Health Organization reported 2.5 million deaths in developing countries from breathing fumes indoors from biomass stoves in 2022 (Akabuiro, 2022). Moreover, energy poverty poses the potential to exasperate various gender inequality dynamics. This is, once again, especially true of rural areas where substantial time to procure forms of biomass often falls burden on women and young girls. Akabuiro (2022) estimated that women carry 20 kilograms of fuel wood for an average of five kilometers every day in West Africa. Remote populations of women are further burdened by the time demand of cooking food on improvised stoves. It is estimated that the loss in wages in Africa as a whole to cooking and collecting firewood is about $36.9 billion annually, as of 2022 (Akabuiro, 2022). The opportunity costs for women living in energy poverty can include time spent pursuing an education or career (Akabuiro, 2022). Furthermore, Adusah‐Poku & Takeuchi (2019) conducted a study in which it was determined that rural households were almost twice as energy poor as urban households in Ghana. Nearly 80% of those without access to electricity across SSA live in rural areas.

Energy access plays a pivotal role in development within undeveloped regions such as SSA. This is evident as Africa’s rapid economic growth was accompanied by a rise in energy use by 45% since 2000. A study by Singh & Inglesi-Lotz (2021) aimed to examine the role of energy access and consumption in boosting economic growth and development in SSA. This paper explored the link between energy poverty and socio-economic growth. The results demonstrated a positive and significant relationship between access to electricity and economic growth in SSA. More specifically, macroeconomic growth demonstrated a robust correlation to electricity access (Singh & Inglesi-Lotz, 2021). In terms of the socio-economic impacts, Singh & Inglesi-Lotz (2021) associated improved access to energy on a household scale to improvements in quality of education, gender equality, and health for those households. They further found that electrification, specifically, stimulates employment and income generating activities. Gafa & Egbendéwé’s (2021) results were consistent with these findings as they found that levels of energy poverty are higher in rural Togo than in rural Senegal which is attributed to the relatively higher household income levels in Senegal (Gafa & Egbendéwé, 2021).

Sources:

Adusah‐Poku, F., & Takeuchi, K. (2019). Energy poverty in Ghana: Any progress so far? Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 112, 853–864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.06.038

Akabuiro, D. O. (2022). Energy poverty and gender inequality in West Africa: an international human rights law perspective. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4216824

Gafa, D. W., & Egbendéwé, A. Y. G. (2021). Energy poverty in rural West Africa and its determinants: Evidence from Senegal and Togo. Energy Policy, 156, 112476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112476

Key findings – Africa Energy Outlook 2022. (2023). IEA. https://www.iea.org/reports/africa-energy-outlook-2022/key-findings

Monyei, C. G., Akpeji, K. O., Oladeji, O., Babatunde, O. M., Aholu, O. C., Adegoke, D., & Imafidon, J. O. (2022). Regional cooperation for mitigating energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: A context-based approach through the tripartite lenses of access, sufficiency, and mobility. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 159, 112209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112209

Munro, P., Samarakoon, S., & Van Der Horst, G. A. (2020). African energy poverty: a moving target. Environmental Research Letters, 15(10), 104059. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abaf1a

Singh, K., & Inglesi-Lotz, R. (2021, January). The role of energy poverty on economic growth in sub-Saharan African countries. https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/79811#:~:text=The%20empirical%20investigation%20found%20that,impact%20on%20a%20direct%20basis.