Household energy choice for cooking among the time and consumption poor in Ghana

Abstract

Several studies have highlighted the adoption of clean energy fuels and the militating factors since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the lack of empirical research on the role of time poverty limits the formulation of holistic evidence-based policies in addressing the widespread adoption of solid biomass fuel (SBF). This paper investigates the relationship between time poverty and households’ adoption of SBF using nationally representative household-level data. By employing different time poverty cutoffs and the biprobit model, the results indicate that time poverty reduces the adoption of SBF while consumption poverty increases the adoption of SBF compared to non-poor households. Moreover, the study finds that households that are doubly poor are more likely to adopt clean energy (liquefied petroleum gas). The result suggests that doubly poor households may be able to partially offset the positive effects of consumption poverty on the adoption of SBF by investing more of their time in activities that improve their income level and the adoption of clean fuels. These findings suggest that major government institutions such as the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum should vigorously promote Sustainable Energy for All initiative.