Abstract:
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to over 600 million people facing frequent,
unplanned as well as unannounced power outages. Though the investigation of
the effects of power outages is growing, less attention has been paid to
households. This study examined the effects of power outages on household
incomes in three selected sub-Saharan African countries namely Nigeria,
Ethiopia, and Niger using a weighted least square. The study found that
monthly hours of a power outage is negatively associated with the two
categories of non-farm income identified in this study namely non-farm
industry income and non-farm services income across the three countries.
Besides, the study also found a negative association between monthly hours of
power outage and total household income. In view of this, it is recommended
that the government of Nigeria should explore the integration of renewable
energy sources as a potential solution to alleviate electricity shortages in
Nigeria. Also, the Ethiopian Electric Power Company should enhance service
delivery and expedite infrastructure rehabilitation for a reliable electricity
supply in Ethiopia. Finally the government of Niger should promote energy
independence and diversification strategies for a reliable electricity supply in Niger.
