An analysis of household cooking fuel choice: a case of Bauchi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the factors that influence households’ choice of cooking fuel in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 750 samples were selected using multistage area cluster sampling, of which 539 responses were analysed. Multinomial logit model was used to estimate the factors that determine a household’s main cooking fuel choice in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Findings

The result has shown that income, location, price of firewood, hours of electricity supply and home ownership are among the factors that have a significant impact on influencing the type of cooking fuel to be adopted by households.

Research limitations/implications

The study cannot offer any explanation about the influence of time dimension on the pattern of household cooking fuel choice in the study area.

Practical implications

Implementation of policies to increase the income of households, ensuring the availability of clean cooking fuel source and the increase in the price of firewood will encourage households to switch from using firewood to using cleaner fuel sources such as kerosene, electricity and gas.

Originality/value

This study has contributed to the existing literature on household energy choice by conducting a micro-level analysis of households’ cooking fuel choice in Bauchi State where a similar study has not been conducted. The study developed approximately 13 hypotheses (out of which two were found to be irrelevant) and added one new variable to test the impact of the neighbourhood’s source of cooking fuel on households’ cooking fuel choice.

Citation

Danlami, A.H., Applanaidu, S.D. and Islam, R. (2018), "An analysis of household cooking fuel choice: a case of Bauchi State, Nigeria", International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 265-283. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-05-2016-0007