Spatial profiles and determinants of multidimensional energy poverty in rural Nigeria

This study aims at examining the multidimensional energy poverty (MEP) and its determinants in six geo-political zones of rural Nigeria. We utilized the 2018/2019 Nigeria Living Standard Survey (NLSS) data collected by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with World Bank. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI), Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA), Tobit model, and Pearson correlation. The analysis showed that over 90% of the respondents live below the MEP line with the North East (NE) and South West (SW) having the highest (98.7%) and lowest (82%) respectively. The intensity of MEP at the national level was 0.330. The results of the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI) which stood at 0.31 in the country, was highest in the NE (0.345) and lowest in the SW (0.279). Although with varying strength of relationships across the zones, cooking, lighting, and kitchen appliances are notable dimensions that have a significant positive correlation with aggregate MEP. Education, sex, and occupation of the household head as well as household size and monthly expenditure are determinants of the MEP in the country. There are implications for zone-specific and women-focused interventions relating to clean energy and access to kitchen appliances.