Determinants of household fuelwood consumption in Nigeria

Fuelwood is an important source of biomass which in particular is a renewable energy source that contributes to the energy needs of modern societies. Low and unstable income coupled with poor access to cleaner and efficient energy make fuelwood an essential source of energy in Nigeria despite its negative externality on the environment and human health. However, the knowledge of the determinants of household fuelwood is limited which is of importance in formulating energy policies that help in promoting economic development, reducing poverty as well as promoting gender equality. This study, therefore, examines the demographic and socioeconomic determinants of household fuelwood consumption in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the energy ladder theory. Following the work of Wiafe and Kwakwa (2013) and Muller and Yan (2018), a logit regression model was estimated to determine the factors that influence fuelwood consumption in Nigeria. The result reveals that factors such as formal education, male-headed households, employment status of household head, age of household head were significant in explaining the demand for fuelwood consumption in Nigeria. Government policy aimed at promoting the use of cleaner energy should be encouraged. This includes improvements of the economic welfare of households such as the expansion of the non-agriculture sector and building human capital via education.