Households Energy Consumption In Niger:Examining Factors Influencing Energy Carrier Preference

Wood, as source of energy, is a major concern for developing countries. In Niger, despite the efforts made in promoting the use of modern sources of energy for cooking, up to94%of households still rely on wood as primary source of energy for cooking. Given that Niger is a sub-Saharan threatened by the constant growing desert, it appears crucial for individuals to adopt more environment-friendly attitude in their energy consumption behavior. This could be done by adopting alternative sources of energy such gas or coal.The present work aims at assessing and evaluating the main factors that affect household’s energy carrier preference, especially for cooking purpose. Based on a review of the extant literature, seven important variables have been identified, which were used in a full-scale study. Two pilot tests were conducted in order to determine the relative pertinence of these variables regarding the Nigerien context and the applicability of a designed questionnaire for urban and rural context.Based on the results from the two pilot tests, a structural equation modeling was used to estimate the coefficient of each of the variables and to test the hypotheses formulated.The results of the survey carried out in both rural and urban areas confirm the predominance of wood usage for cooking in Nigerien households.The results of the path analysis with Lisrel show that availability, price switching cost and institutional intervention are the variables that have the greater impact on households’ energy carrier preference for cooking purpose. Family size, inertia and income level present a relatively lower impact. When compared, rural and urban households exhibit some similarities in their energy carrier preference.Based on the study’s results, two plans that will help in inducing changes to the actual preference for wood are proposed. These plans rely on the prerequisites in terms of energy consumption strategies adopted by so far the Nigerien government.The study has many implications. It provides valuable insights for government policymakers concerning implementing new policies toward changing households energy consumption attitude. The results of the study also interest private company in many ways such as establishing reliable fuels distribution network in rural areas. The study constitutes a great contribution to the extant literature in Niger as well as in any country with comparable situation. The limitations of the study are, among others, the sample size and the methodology adopted.