Examining the Effects of Wealth, Education, and Household Location on Clean Cooking Energy Poverty Among Rural Households in Rwanda

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the determinants of cooking energy poverty in rural Rwanda through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Data from the Rwanda Institute of Statistics (2018) is employed to examine the interplay of wealth, education, and location on energy poverty. The results reveal wealth, education, and urban residence negatively impact poverty likelihood. Additionally, factors like literacy and land ownership demonstrate positive indirect effects mediated by wealth and education. While the model fits adequately, further refinement is suggested by R² and CFI. This research highlights the multifaceted nature of cooking energy poverty, emphasizing the importance of socio-economic factors for intervention design.

KEYWORDS:

• Cooking energy poverty
• education
• location
• social networks
• Structural equation modeling (SEM)
• wealth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).