Energy Poverty and Household Wellbeing in Nigeria

Abstract

This study analysed the effect of energy poverty on household wellbeing in Nigeria. Energy poverty in the household is defined as lack of accessibility and affordability to cleaner energy sources. Households who do not have access to or cannot afford cleaner fuels depend heavily on inefficient fuels, and this tends to affect their wellbeing. Here, wellbeing is captured by the health status of household members. A key objective of this study is to investigate how energy poverty impacts the wellbeing of household(s) in Nigeria. The study utilized the 2015/2016 Wave 3 General Household Survey (GHS) data set, obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria. The estimates show that energy poverty increased the probability of a household member suffering from a respiratory disease, it also affects children below 18 years old as they also have a probability of being sick with a respiratory disease. Ensuring that households have access to cleaner fuels for cooking and other activities is a policy option that needs to be explored by government and all stakeholders.