Energy poverty in rural West Africa and its determinants: Evidence from Senegal and Togo

Highlights: • The levels and the determinants of energy poverty in rural West Africa are analyzed. • The study estimates and compares various objective indicators of energy poverty. • Rural energy poverty vary from 31.2 to 98.5% in Senegal and 53.5–98.8% in Togo. • Income, fertility and fuel types are the main drivers of household energy poverty. • Women's participation and affordable energy policies would reduce energy poverty. This research evaluates the levels and the determinants of energy poverty in rural West Africa using countrywide primary data for Senegal and Togo. The study estimates and compares various indicators for measuring energy poverty and a newly proposed multidimensional measure. The results suggest that rural energy poverty levels vary from 31.2 to 98.5 percent in Senegal and 53.5 to 98.8 percent in Togo. Measures that are based on per capita energy consumption generate higher energy poverty rates in rural Senegal than Togo due to the relative scarcity of fire wood and the relatively larger household size in Senegal. Multidimensional and expenditure-based energy measures generate higher energy poverty in rural Togo than Senegal, reflecting the higher per capita income and greater access to modern energy sources in Senegal compared to Togo. Household income, fertility and the type of fuel used are the main drivers of household energy poverty in both countries. Furthermore, rural households tend to have greater energy consumption when the decisions about energy purchase are made jointly by male and female household members. Thus, public policies that improve rural households' income, foster women's participation in decision-making, and provide affordable energy would help reduce energy poverty in both countries.