Estimations of Multidimensional Energy Poverty in Tanzania

Abstract

This study assesses the level of multidimensional energy poverty in Tanzania. The study uses descriptive and inferential statistics based  on data from the 2015-2016 Tanzania Demographic and  Health Surveys (DHS), as they provide the most comprehensive datasets for this  analysis. The  analysis revealed that 74.1% of households were in rural areas, while the remaining 25.9% were in  urban areas. Moreover,  the study found that 80.6% of household heads were considered  multidimensionally energy-poor. For inferential statistics, the Alkire- Foster estimates found that  81.2% of households in Tanzania were multidimensionally energy-poor, with higher rates of energy  poverty  in rural areas (94.2%) and among female-headed households (84.0%). Moreover, the  findings show that the dimension of modern fuel  contributes the most to the Multidimensional  Energy Poverty Index (MEPI) (43.6%) compared to the asset (17.9%) and education (38.5%)  dimensions. The study recommends that Tanzania invest in expanding access to modern cooking  fuels and electricity, improving asset  ownership, and enhancing educational opportunities to address  multidimensional energy poverty. We recommend that the government  emphasize and focus on both  renewable energy and energy efficiency development in the country by implementing energy  initiatives  based on National Energy Policy 2015 to increase access to modern energy services and  share renewable energies in the electricity  generation mix to enhance availability, reliability, and  security of supply.