This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
According to a recent study by energy experts Ashden, the clean energy transition in East Africa has failed to improve the lives of rural women due to poverty and gender inequality.
Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive of Ashden, emphasized the need for the clean energy transition to take place in a way that improves the lives of women. She stated this during the Clean Cooking Forum in Nairobi last week.
The study, which was conducted in Tanzania from 2017 to 2019, involved 1,260 household surveys, 16 focus groups, and 66 semi-structured interviews. The project was funded by Wallace Global Fund, the IKEA Foundation, and the UK's Department for International Development, with support from the Institute of Development Studies.
The key findings of the study revealed that most interaction with solar companies, from buying a system to getting training on how to fix it, was done by men. Furthermore, the study found that many families could not afford to power labour-saving appliances that would benefit women, and that account ownership generally lay with men.
Ms. Lamb noted that for most women surveyed, access to solar had not created more free time but increased house chores. With many families restricted to limited amounts of energy, women were de-prioritizing their own needs over those of other family members.
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