Unlocking Opportunities: How Efficient Energy Appliances Drive Poverty Reduction and Gender Equality
Limited access to modern energy services exacerbates poverty levels, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. East and Southern African countries are facing low electrification rates of 22 % to 48 % and their markets are also often swamped with inefficient appliances, which consume a big share of the energy available. Integrating energy-efficient practices can optimize energy consumption, expand access, reduce poverty and decrease negative environmental impacts.
Despite global efforts, extreme poverty remains a big challenge. Between 2018 and 2030, the target is to decrease extreme poverty from 33.4% to 24.7%, but the COVID-19 pandemic hindered progress. In regions like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the pandemic exacerbated poverty rates, with incomes dwindling and income-generating activities disrupted. As a result, nearly 25 million people struggled to meet their food needs in 2021, showcasing the urgent need for intervention. It is proven, that energy efficiency programs disproportionately benefit low-income households, which makes them an important tool to reduce poverty.
Energy-efficient products provide essential energy services such as lighting and refrigeration, among others, all of which are crucial for households, improving people's income, and enhancing business productivity and competitiveness.
Despite their high upfront costs, these products are cheaper for users over their lifetime and can lead to an increase in households' disposable incomes by reducing utility bills and maintenance costs, as well as health improvements through reduced pollution and increased comfort.
Overall, efficient electricity use promotes energy security, which lies at the heart of achieving the region's economic and human development goals as well as many of the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Energy Efficient Lighting and Appliances (EELA) project in East and Southern Africa is directly supporting this on many fronts.
Impacting gender equality through Energy Efficient Appliances
Access to modern energy resources is inextricable from health and economic prosperity. While basic energy services such as lighting are often unaffordable for people, especially in rural areas, women are disproportionately impacted as they shoulder the majority of household responsibilities. This includes making decisions related to energy production and consumption through cooking, heating, and lighting.
With over 1.1 billion people lacking electricity and nearly 3 billion relying on traditional biomass for cooking and heating, the impacts are profound. Indoor air pollution claims approximately 4 million lives annually. Women and children’s health is especially affected by the lack of electricity or low-quality domestic products, as they spend relatively more time at home than men. As a result, improving energy access and replacing unhealthy traditional forms of lighting such as kerosene lamps and candles with cheap domestic solar and EELA solutions can improve the health of mothers and their children. Similarly, energy-efficient cooling products can have positive health impacts by enabling vaccination and medicine storage but also improving food security through cool chains.
In terms of social development, access to energy enables women to engage in income-generating activities. Reliable energy sources can create opportunities for women to benefit from education and training, enhance their productivity, and contribute to economic growth through entrepreneurship, agriculture, and small-scale industries. This in turn can lead to greater gender equality and social justice within communities.
EELAs Pathways to empowerment and equality
The pathways to women's empowerment are linked to the provision, acquisition and use of appliances. Heavy work (drudgery) and time poverty due to unpaid domestic chores or care work, for example, are two major aspects of gender inequality, which is in turn closely connected to poverty. EELA can empower women by expanding their access to quality products and by supporting women entrepreneurs to become more active in markets for energy-efficient lighting and appliances. The use of EELA products can save time, reduce drudgery, generate income, and improve livelihoods, especially for women, but also for men and children.
High upfront costs remain a barrier, especially for low-income households, but the perception is growing that over time, more cost-effective energy efficient appliances save money which can be used for food and other supplies and be invested in small businesses.
EELA appliances that meet women's practical needs in particular can reduce drudgery in unpaid care work, household tasks, and income-generating activities. When drudgery is reduced, men are more willing to share household responsibilities and take on some household tasks, introducing small transformational changes. In Kenya, the research found that off-grid refrigerator ownership freed up women from time spent on household activities and gave them new microbusiness opportunities, such as selling vegetables and fruits, ice, or beverages (Energia 2018, cited by CLASP).
Energy is gendered through the entire supply chain, from manufacturing to end use, presenting different opportunities for women and men to engage in and influence the platform. Being the main drivers of entrepreneurship in the rural areas of SSA, and providers of energy solutions, women-led sustainable energy solutions can drive the transformation of the energy space.
However, men and women have differentiated priorities in energy services. Consequently, there is a need to develop contextualised policies to involve women in decision-making and create opportunities for them in the energy sector.
On this basis, the EELA project incorporates a gender mainstreaming strategy, devised in consultation with a gender specialist, intended to advance the goal of gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly economic empowerment. The strategy includes focused interventions such as education and financial literacy support mechanisms, and affordable and accommodative credit facilities, to boost the productivity and competitiveness of women-owned micro-, small-, and medium-enterprises (MSMEs).
Gender as a topic is continuously addressed in EELA project team and stakeholder meetings, to help identify areas where gender goals could be established.
Through targeted interventions and gender-sensitive approaches, the project empowers women entrepreneurs, expands access to quality products, and fosters inclusive economic growth.
“By mainstreaming gender considerations in its strategies and engagements, the EELA project fosters inclusive economic growth and empowers women across sub-Saharan Africa. Energy efficiency is paving the way for sustainable development, social and gender equality, and better health, impacting lives and livelihoods throughout the region.” (Karin Reiss-Haimbala, EELA Project Manager, UNIDO)
In conclusion, access to clean affordable sustainable energy remains key for the enhancement of women’s economic empowerment, poverty eradication, and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. By using the transformative power of energy-efficient appliances, opportunities for economic empowerment, poverty reduction, and gender equality can be unlocked. Initiatives like EELA underscore the potential of collaborative efforts to create a brighter, more equitable future for all.
END…/
